James Wallace Gunn was born April 10, 1934 on small farm in Bell County, Texas, the only child of James Nathan Gunn and Ila Lee Dickey.

His younger years were spent helping with chores on the farm and fishing with his buddies.

When he was a teenager his mother surprised him with guitar lessons

He'd seen other people playing the guitar before and thought "I have the same finger they do, this should be easy, but boy was I naive - I had to practice for hours." and hours". He used to sneak into the back of a local honky-tonk and listen to bands play. This inspired him to join a band with his friend Bubba and they toured all summer as the "Black Mountain Boys".  During this time, he focused on mastering the steel guitar. He even had the opportunity to play alongside Hank Williams and continued sharing his talent, playing the steel guitar well into his 80s.

In the summer of 1953 he met Diann Rust, his future bride, at Garner State Park, where they both went separately with friends for a day of swimming on the Frio River. They were married on June 3, 1955 in San Antonio. They honeymooned in Dallas and loved it so much, they moved there shortly after he had earned his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from UT.  He earned his Master's Degree from SMU in 1966.

He worked at E-Systems Garland (now Raytheon), where he contributed to the design of the radar system used in Patriot missiles during the Gulf War. His career there spanned nearly 50 years, marked by significant achievements and a lasting legacy.

On the afternoon of October 24, 2024, he lay down for a nap and peacefully awoke in the arms of his Savior, Jesus Christ.

He was proceeded in death by his parents, his youngest son Bruce Gunn, and his oldest grandson Greg Whitfield.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Diann Gunn, with whom he shared nearly 70 years of marriage, their 3 children, Laura (Chuck) Whitfield, Brian (Catherine) Gunn & Karen (Joe) Tarantolo, 4 grandchildren, Jill (Chance) Neutze, Maddie (Nick) Page, Rob (Bayley) Tarantolo, Mitchell (Caroline) Tarantolo,  and 5 great-grandchildren, Cortlan Neutze, Penny Page, Jagger Neutze, Bridget Tarantolo and Ellie Tarantolo.

Link to video montage:

https://vimeo.com/1029071836?share=copy#t=0