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James S. Blesse
"Jim"

Company A-2

16 Sep 1939 - 11 Jul 2024
Place of Death: Fort Monroe, VA
Interment: Arlington National Cemetery on a date to be determined.

It is with great regret and sorrow that I must notify you of the death of our classmate, Jim Blesse, on July 11, 2024, in Fort Monroe, VA from prostate cancer. 

Jim is survived by his wife, Bobbie; his son, Joseph, and his wife, Susie; his daughter, Debra; his son, Steven, and his wife, Lisa; his stepdaughter, Meg Souder and her partner, John Williams; his stepson, Bryan Souder, and his wife, Stephanie; his grandchildren, Jacob, Logan, Claire, and Joseph; and his step-grandchildren, Hannah, Grace, and Eleanor. 

Jim Blesse's funeral service will be at 11 AM, 23 August, at Christ Episcopal Church, 111 S Church Street, Smithfield, VA  23430.

Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery on a date to be determined. 

Condolences may be sent to Bobbie at 2 Fenwick Road, # 609, Fort Monroe, VA  23651-1130. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Jim’s memory be sent to the American Battlefield Trust, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC  20005. 

Well done, Jim.  Be thou at peace.

Remembrances:

Class Memorial Pages/A-2 Jim Blesse.pdf

Although we Jim Blesse fans here in Isle of Wight County, Va., used to kid Jim about being 'second' to his famous brother "Boots" Blesse, we loved Jim (and wife Bobbie) for their proud public engagement and personal friendship, especially in our small town of Smithfield, the 'Ham Capital of the World'. Jim was a true friend of the Isle of Wight County Museum where he shared his Vietnam experiences and became a regular attendee, indeed advocate, of local history presentations there. Along with his friends in his second home The Chamberlin, we all share the loss of a true Army compatriot and friend.

Albert P. Burckard, Jr

Obituaries: