JESSE R. JAMES JR.
Nov. 28, 1920-April 18, 2014
Jesse R. James Jr., 93, Raleigh, N.C., passed away Friday, April 18, 2014.
Jesse was born Nov. 28, 1920, in Oriental, N.C., to Jesse and Etta James.
Jesse was preceded in death by his wife, Martha Eleanor Thorne James; wife, Betty Jean McSwain James; and sister, Marguerite Kent.
He is survived by his son, Jesse R. James III and wife, Jane; son, Philip T. James and wife, Marie; son, John S. James and wife, Meredith; grandchildren, Jennifer Larkin, Julie Johnson, Jesse R. James IV, John Warren James, Laura K. James, Samantha Morgan James and Philip James; and great-grandchildren, Dean and Eden Larkin, Rhyd, Rhys and Jade Johnson and Sloane, Charlotte and Ava James.
Jesse's life is reflected by the question that his father would use to wake as him as a child, "What are we going to do today?" and he would answer, "Get up and go get them" -- sportsman, educator, public servant. His childhood experiences shaped him and guided his life.
Upon graduating from Brogden High School in 1939, he received a basketball and baseball scholarship to Wake Forest University; however, life had other plans for him.
In 1940 he enlisted in the United States Army, and departed for the Pacific from the same location as his father did when deploying to Europe for World War I. Upon arriving in Hawaii, he held various positions in the Military Police and Ordinance (Hawaiian War Plans).
Jesse was Sergeant of the Guard at Fort Armstrong the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. He and three of his first cousins survived the Pearl Harbor attack.
He could have lived out the war on Waikiki beach, but that was not his style. Upon graduating from Officer Candidate School, Ordinance School and Engineer School, he departed for Italy and landed on Anzio Beachhead as a newly-minted lieutenant.
He was assigned to VI Corp 39th Combat Engineers, 1st Battalion, Alpha Company. As the result of artillery shelling April 12, 1944, he lost his right leg and part of his left foot.
During his service he earned the Purple Heart with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Medal with a Service Star, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars and World War II Victory Medal.
Being placed on the disabled list, he continued to better himself by graduating from Atlantic Christian College (president of Sigma Alpha, and was Who's Who) and earning a Master's of Arts degree in administration from East Carolina University in 1952.
He held many positions, culminating in a life's work. He was principal of Lewiston High School; principal of Gaston High School; a Special Agent SBI (one of the first 20 agents hired); Criminal Investigations Division, United States Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune; chief of police in Burlington, N.C.; chief of police in Charlotte, N.C.; director of industrial relations at Florida Steel Corp.; assistant director of the Institute of Government at the University of North Carolina; law enforcement consultant of programs for HEW; a deputy regional administrator for LEAA (Des Plaines, Ill.); and chief of police and Organized Crime Division for LEAA (D.C.).
He continued to serve his community with the Shriners, the Scottish Rite, as past president of the North Carolina Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and as a Master Mason.
Jesse never met a stranger.
He was always ready to pull out his guitar and to play music for friends and family, especially his beloved grandchildren, who would sing along with him. He told stories of playing guitar with Andy Griffith, when Andy was a young actor in Manteo, N.C. He never missed an opportunity to encourage others to dream big and do their best in all things.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 23, at 11 a.m., with visitations at 10 a.m. prior to the service at Mitchell Funeral Home, 7209 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, N.C. Interment will follow at Raleigh Memorial Park.
Online memorials may be sent to www.MitchellatRMP.com.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on April 22, 2014 1:48 PM