James Alton Croom, (93) a resident of Springmoor Retirement Community went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on April 26, 2018. Mr. Croom was born in Wilmington, NC on September 8, 1924 to the late Walter J and Carrie Murray Croom. Other than his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Herman L Croom and his sister, Nettie Rae Farrow. He attended New Hanover High School and graduated from Miami Edison High School in 1942. He was a WWII Veteran and took part in the invasion and battle of Okinawa. After the war, he attended NC State College and UNC Chapel Hill where he received his BS degree in commerce in 1950. At UNC he was a member of Theta Chi and Alpha Kappa Psi fraternities. In his business career he worked for Tidewater Power Company, IBM, and Pet Inc. In 1971, he obtained his Real Estate Broker’s License and began a real estate career which spanned over 38 years in Raleigh. He met and married the love of his life, Dorothy Callaway of Elkin, NC in May 1954 and enjoyed 64 years of marriage. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He enjoyed family time and especially enjoyed the annual family beach getaway. He was a longtime active member of Hayes Barton Baptist Church and a devoted member of the Townsend Sunday School class and BSF. Mr. Croom was active in a number of civic and professional organizations including the Raleigh Board of Realtors, American Marketing Association, United Fund, Junior Achievement, American Cancer Society, Boy and Girl Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, and Meals on Wheels.
Mr. Croom is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dorothy Callaway and daughters Carol and her husband Tim Bottoms of Wilmington, Katherine and her husband David Bryan of Apex, and Susan and her husband Mory Read of Raleigh, as well as, grandchildren Megan Bryan, Joshua Read, Jessica Snyder, Lily Read, and Emma Read.
A visitation will be held at Hayes Barton Baptist Church, Monday, April 30, 2018 from 1PM to 2PM, with a funeral service at 2PM. Interment to follow at Raleigh Memorial Park with Military Honors.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the TV Ministry at Hayes Barton Church, 1800 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC, 27608 or to an organization of your choice.
