James Claybon Bullard

He was born in April of 1943 in Raleigh, NC and lived most of his youth in Cary, NC. Jim earned his Bachelor's degree from Mars Hill University. At Mars Hill he met and married Sue and they raised two children. He began his career in accounting at ITT and retired from The Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University in 2005. He was in the army and was deployed in 1968 to Vietnam where he served a tour of duty.

He enjoyed volunteering his talents with organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and AARP. Jim shared his knowledge of sailing with the Sea Scouts, and assisted/advised seniors on their income taxes.

Jim loved God, and served as a Deacon at his church in Raleigh.

He loved to sail and shared this love and passion with his family, and all interested. His boat was the “The Dolly Lightfoot” out of Edenton, NC. He shared many weekends with his family exploring the Albemarle sound and beyond. In retirement, he crewed on a ship called "The Gypsy Moon" with Captain Mike Hurley from Florida to the Bahamas. He was always willing to go for a sail with friends in need of a crew.

Jim enjoyed working with his hands and used his skills in maintaining “The Dolly Lightfoot''. He took this passion on to building sailboats and a teardrop camper. When Cody was just an infant, he helped Michael restore an old cedar strip canoe from Maine that Allison’s Papa built in 1969. They brought it back to life and still use it in Maine today.

When Jim and Sue retired, they moved to the mountains to spend some time with their grandchildren there. They enjoyed camping in the Mountains and spent their free time as campground hosts. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his five grandchildren and he was thrilled with their talents in music, theater, scouts and sports.

Jim is preceded in death by his mother Elizabeth Yarborough Bullard, his father Amos Gentry Bullard, Sr, and his brother Charles Parker Bullard. He is survived by his loving wife Sue, his brother AG, his daughter Tonya, her husband Zeb, his son Michael, and his wife Allison, along with his grandchildren Anna, Cody, Skyla, Clara, and Morgan.

A Memorial Service will be held in Jim's Honor on January 21st, 2023 at 11am, at Mitchell Funeral Home, a Reception will be held following the service as a time to share memories and stories of Jim's Life.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a charitable contribution to the First Baptist Church of Asheville where they currently hold their membership. " https://fbca.net/online-giving/ "

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