James Noble Wilkins, Sr. age 88, of McMinnville, died Saturday, July 29, 2023. Born Aug. 16, 1934, in Dearborn, Michigan, he was a US Army Veteran of the Korean War, and a member of St. Catherine’s Catholic Church. He was preceded in death by parents Willis and Leona Noble Wilkins, and all siblings. He started his law enforcement career in 1957 in Detroit, Michigan, graduated from the Border Control Academy, attended the Treasury Law Enforcement School, was a Customs Inspector, and a member of the DEA. He was part of the ground floor operations of EPIC – it was a small beginning with a select handful of personnel and has now grown to be a large conglomerate in El Paso, Texas. When he moved to McMinnville, he worked for the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, and was a translator for the Warren County Court House. Survived by his wife Katherine L. “Kaye” Wilkins, children Leslie Wilkins, Paula Jean (Harry) Hardman, Mary Elizabeth (Joe) Gonzalez, Particia Ann (Alex) Dominquez, James N. Wilkins II, and Rebecca Lynn Wilkins, grandchildren Kristen Jean, Brian, Shannon, Timothy, Joseph, Alex, Jamie Cat, and Jack. Memorial services are 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church. Father Bala will officiate.  Inurnment of the cremated remains will be at Chattanooga National Cemetery Sept. 15, 2023.

McMinnville Funeral Home

P. O. Box 7115

McMinnville, TN  37111-7115