Peebles native, Air Force veteran James L. McCoy dies at 96

James L. McCoy, a Peebles native whose family name is still tied to Adams County landmarks and arts philanthropy, died June 2 at Hospice of Dayton. He was 96. Born Feb. 13, 1930, McCoy grew up in a town shaped by his parents’ businesses, with Floyd McCoy operating a lumber yard and Mae Holladay McCoy running a grocery store.

That hometown upbringing carried through a life that reached well beyond Peebles. McCoy attended Ohio University, where he was a standout in track, and earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce. He later served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and fought in Korea, then went on to work at NCR before owning several businesses.

McCoy’s name is also tied to a long pattern of giving that reached from the Miami Valley back into Adams County. He and his wife, Joan W. McCoy, married in 1955. After her death in 2003, the James L. and Joan W. McCoy Foundation remained active in supporting arts organizations, including the Miamisburg Art Gallery, the Women’s TriArt Society and the Adams County School Arts program. GuideStar lists the foundation under EIN 26-0790000.

The family’s support has left visible marks in Peebles. McCoy had a memorial park built there in July 2012 in honor of his parents, and the site is listed as Floyd & Mae McCoy Memorial Park. That park later became part of Peebles’ story again when the village was designated the 22nd official Buckeye Trail Town in 2025, with the public ceremony planned there. In Adams County, the McCoy Art Awards also continued to be presented at the All-County Arts and Music Festival in 2023 and 2025, keeping the family’s support of student art in front of a new generation.

McCoy also was active with the Fairborn Art Association, a nonprofit focused on art, classes, workshops and community service, and was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. He was preceded in death by his sister, Kathryn McCoy, who lived to be 95, and by Joan.

Visitation was set for June 10 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Tobias Funeral Home in Dayton, followed by the funeral service at 5 p.m. Burial and committal were scheduled for June 11 at Locust Grove Cemetery in Peebles. Donations were requested to the Miamisburg Art Gallery in lieu of flowers, a final gesture that matched a life spent linking Peebles, Dayton and the arts.