James Van McCoy, 78, of Rapid City, SD, died on October 1, 2026, at Monument Health in Rapid City. He was born on December 16, 1947 in Martin, SD, to Grant and Beatrice (Blare) McCoy. James graduated from Rapid City High School in 1966, soon after he married the love of his life, Alice Courtney, on July 16, 1966. During his lifetime, James had lived in several places, including Hermosa, Helena, MT, Chadron, NE before ultimately returning to Rapid City in 1984. James worked at Merillat as the operator of the edge banding machine. Later, he worked for Ace Security at the Air National Guard. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and remodeling his house. He loved traveling to Alaska, and his grandchildren were a very large part of his life. James is survived by his wife of 60 years, Alice; son, Steven D. McCoy (Dee), Louisa, KY; daughter, Kimberly Dawn Erickson (Cory), Eagle River AK; 3 grandchildren, Rachelle Lana Erickson, Asher Carter Erickson, and Andrew Lloyd Curtis, brother, Frank McCoy of CA; nephews and nieces, Shawn, Tim Jo, Amanda, Amy, Tricia, Paul, Stacie, Cristy, Delvet. He was preceded in death by his parents, Grant and Beatrice McCoy, and sister, Shirley Joyce.