James Overton Blanton III

James Overton Blanton, III passed away on August 18, 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida. He celebrated his 85th birthday on July 25th in the company of his children and grandchildren. James was fondly known as Jim (or “Jimmy”) by his family, friends, and colleagues. He was born in Winston-Salem, NC in 1931, the second child of James O. Blanton Jr. and Edith Sapp Blanton. He had two sisters, Nancy Blanton Smith and Shirley Blanton Hoover (now deceased), with whom he spent his childhood years in the vicinity of Winston-Salem. He graduated from Sedge Garden High School. He attended Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA where he earned a BA in English Literature in 1954. During his summer breaks from college, he worked on the wheat harvest in the Midwest and at a dude ranch in Estes Park, CO where he fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. A few years later, Jim graduated from Moravian Theological Seminary in 1957 with a Master of Divinity. He was the business manager for the Moravian College Glee Club and active in Pi Mu Pre-Theological Fraternity. Notably, he was recognized in Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges and received the Greek Prize for Outstanding Greek Language Student at Moravian Seminary. In 1957, Jim married Rena Marie Moody and accepted a missionary call to Nisky Moravian Church in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, where he served for three years. In 1962, Jim returned with his young family to Raleigh, NC, and in 1966 he earned a BS in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University. He spent 33 years working for the US Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, CO from 1966 until he retired in 1993. He authored many studies related to hydraulic engineering and worked with teams developing hydraulic engineering standards. He travelled extensively in the United States, surveying Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs in the Western states and in collaboration with the Tennessee Valley Authority. His expertise in the field took him overseas several times, where he assisted the governments of Brazil, Malaysia, and Sudan with water management and flood control projects. His profession also enabled him to pursue his passions for geology, wilderness, and natural history. He greatly enjoyed his work, particularly when he was in the field or navigating one of the great rivers of the world, including the Colorado, Columbia, Amazon, and Nile. He was an ardent advocate of the National Park Service and especially fond of the Rocky Mountains, where he often hiked and camped with his children. Jim also climbed to the summit of Longs Peak in Colorado, one of the state’s highest mountains. In addition to his work as an engineer, Jim was dedicated to serving his community and honoring his lifelong Christian values. His characteristic humility and compassion for those less fortunate led him be involved with the Urban Servant Corps in Denver, to participate in the annual CROP Walk for Hunger, and to sponsor a Guatemalan child with his wife. He was active in several churches in the Denver area, including Christ the King Episcopal and King of Glory Lutheran in Arvada, where he faithfully sang in the choir and served on stewardship and evangelism committees. Jim and Rena were also very active in the ecumenical “Living Room Dialogues” between neighborhood churches. They hosted a Korean exchange student and welcomed other foreign guests into their home. Jim also sang in the Arvada Center Chorale for several years and on their European tour in 1990. Upon retiring from government service in 1993, Jim and his wife relocated to Morehead City, NC, where they were active members of Shepherd-of-the-Sea Lutheran Church in Atlantic Beach. He moved to Florida in 2010, and just weeks prior to his death, Jim became a member of Mandarin Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, FL. He remained a lifelong contributing member of Home Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, NC. Jim was widowed in 1999 when his beloved wife of 42 years, Rena Marie Blanton, passed away. Jim was a devoted father of five children. His third son Stephen David Blanton (52) of San Diego, CA also predeceased him in 2015. He is survived by his two daughters, Kathleen Mary Johnstone (58) of Jacksonville, FL and Alicia Grace Blanton (57) of Solvang, CA, and two sons, Andrew James Blanton (55) of Colorado Springs, CO and John Alexander Blanton (50) of Jacksonville, FL. Jim is survived by eight grandchildren: Ian Michael Johnstone (31), Bryce James Johnstone (25), Ryan Elliott Johnstone (18), and Jordan Casey Blanton (22) of Jacksonville, FL; Megan Elyse Blanton Nowicki (30) and Joshua Ryan Blanton (25) of Colorado Springs; and Audrey Augusta Blanton (21) and Sawyer Jameson Blanton (19) of Portsmouth, UK. He is also survived by three great-grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, and two step-great-grandchildren. At the time of his death, Jim had been a resident at Elmcroft of Timberlin Parc and Terraces of Jacksonville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jacksonville, FL, where he enjoyed compassionate care and living support. He was affectionately admired for his cheerful countenance, patience, and respectful treatment of all his caregivers. Funeral services for James O. Blanton, III will be held at Home Moravian Church, 529 S. Church Street, in Winston-Salem, NC on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. A traditional procession and graveside service will immediately follow at God’s Acre cemetery behind the church. There will be a reception in the fellowship hall after the graveside service. In lieu of flowers and other extravagances, Jim requested that those who wish to remember him in some way be encouraged to give to one of these organizations (or similar charities): Urban Servant Corps, Denver, CO; Moravian Theological Seminary, Bethlehem, PA; Hope Mission, Morehead City, NC. (Map to Home Moravian Church: https://goo.gl/maps/pfMVY5UFnaC2 )