James Colby Mead, better known as "Coochie," was born on December 20, 1948. He departed this life on Sunday, December 21, 2025.

Coochie graduated from Tennessee High School and earned an Associate's Degree in accounting from Bristol Commercial College. He began working for the Bristol office of the United States Postal Service. The work then continued with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C., and the Virginia Department of Transportation, from which he retired. Coochie was a quiet man whose strength was his devotion to his family.
He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Mary Mead.

To mourn his passing, he leaves two sisters, Wilba Mead King and Bendetta Mead King; two brothers, William Jackson and Michael Mead; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him.