James Chester Matolek Jr., age 64, of Virginia Beach, Virginia passed away January 26, 2021. He is survived by his daughter, April Romero (Steven), grandson, Jayden Schwabenbauer, granddaughter, Payton Romero, and brother, John Matolek. He is preceded in death by his mother, Catherine Matolek (Blake), father, James C Matolek Sr., and sister, Barbara Bishop.

James was born on July 3, 1956 in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Catherine and James C Matolek Sr. He graduated from Princess Anne High School in 1975 and then enlisted in the Air Force. He served his country for 4 years as an aircraft maintenance technician and then continued his work on aircrafts for the Department of Defense for the remainder of his career.

Many remember him more affectionally as Jimmy, granddad, or Mr. Jim. He will always be remembered as a loving father, grandfather, brother, friend, and co-worker. Everyone knew how much he loved the Dallas Cowboys – he was an avid member of their fan club, collecting keepsakes of the team along the way. If he wasn’t watching the Dallas Cowboys play, he was listening to rock n roll; usually AC/DC, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and CCR. What you may not know is that he was amazing at drawing cartoon characters. April remembers as a young child going through his drawings, especially of Yosemite Sam.

Due to Covid-19 and state restrictions, a celebration of life will be held at a later date. For all those interested in attending, please contact Family Choice Funerals & Cremations at 757-366-9260. Your name and number will be given to the family or please check back. The service date will be updated once the date is known.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made in Jimmy’s name to the American Lung Association.