James William Durham's Obituary
James William Durham of Fort Myers, Florida went to be with his Lord surrounded by his loving family on Friday, December 30, 2016 following a recent illness. He was 95 years old.James was born on June 24, 1921 in Rhonda, North Carolina but he was saved in 1957 while attending a Billy Graham Crusade at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He was an electrician by trade for 40 years, working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. One of the highlights of his life was the opportunity to use his construction skills in combination with his faith by participating in a mission trip to rebuild a community from a devastating hurricane in Honduras. Since his move from Virginia to Fort Myers in 1990, James attended Riverside Baptist Church on Daniels Parkway where he served as deacon for a number of years. Most recently he was known as “the bulletin man” and enjoyed passing out the church bulletins and welcoming folks to the church.James is survived by his loving wife Louise Durham, his faithful sons Billy Durham, Jack Durham; Jim Durham and Rex Durham and his beloved daughter Gloria Durham Meadors. He also leaves to cherish his memory 9 grand children, 7 great grand children, a number of extended family members and many others who were proud to call him a friend. Sadly, he was preceded in death by his mother Lula Durham; father Rex Welborn; daughter Sylvia Diane Durham Owens and several aunts and uncles.A Memorial Service for James will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 inside the Chapel at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 1589 Colonial Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33907, (239) 936-0555. Visitation will precede this service for one hour beginning at 10:00 AM also inside the funeral home chapel. Following the conclusion of these ceremonies, family and friends will recess to adjacent Memorial Gardens Cemetery where James will be laid to rest inside the Mausoleum located at the Garden of Peace.In lieu of flowers the family recommends a charitable contribution in memory of James to the Europe Ministry at SEND International. Donations can be made on the internet by visiting www.send.org and typing “Rex Durham” in the search bar under the give tab or can be made by check with a note or memo that the contribution is for the Europe Ministry and can be mailed to SEND International, P.O. Box 513, Farmington, Michigan 48332.To share a story, leave a tribute or to offer condolences to the family at this difficult time please visit James’ memorial webpage at www.fortmyersmemorial.com and sign his guestbook.
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