JACKSONVILLE  -  James William Vernon, of Jacksonville, passed away Saturday, March 1, 2025.

Mr. Vernon was born in Clinton, NC on August, 14, 1942. He was preceded in death by his mother, Pauline Evans Vernon; his father, Thomas Alfred Vernon; his sister, Rebecca Vernon Davis; and his brother, Rowland Llewelyn Vernon.

He served in the United States Air Force from 1961 until his retirement in 1986. He served as an Air Traffic Controller during the Viet Nam War. Jim enjoyed traveling and taking long walks on the beach with his wife, RuthAnn, driving the train at the Kiwanis Park in Goldsboro, NC tending his plants and shrubs in his garden and spending time playing with his adoring cats.

He is survived by his devoted wife, RuthAnn Vernon, of the home; his sister, Paula Tomlinson; his nephew, John Barnes and his wife, Keri; his aunt, Rose Royal; his aunt, Gloria Hines; and his cousins, Sherry Strickland and Ann Tyndall, and her husband, Allen Dale Tyndall.

A Funeral Mass in celebration of James' life will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at Infant of Prague Catholic Church, 210 Marine Boulevard, Jacksonville, NC. The family will receive friends, after the Mass, for a luncheon held at the Infant of Prague Catholic Church Parish Hall. Interment will be held at the Coastal Carolina Veteran's Cemetery, in a private ceremony.