Gerard Glynn James

Glynn James created an amazing life for himself and lived it. Those of us lucky enough to know him will spend the rest of our lives missing him.

Born into a military family with four brothers, Glynn grew up globally bouncing around from one posting to the next, collecting stories and skills along the way. After high school, he was drafted into the Army, where he quickly proved himself, graduating from Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, OK, and rising to full Colonel in Field Artillery. He served his country honorably as a battery commander in Vietnam with subsequent postings in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Germany, Kansas, Virginia, and New Jersey. He ended his career at the Pentagon. His military career was distinguished and exemplary, but if you knew Glynn, you knew it wasn’t only the rank on his shoulder that defined him. It was his heart, his hands, and his love of family and friends that did.

For fifty-seven years, he shared that life with Gail, his best friend, capable assistant, and devoted wife. Together, they built a life full of laughter, love, hard work, and endless projects. There was nothing Glynn couldn’t fix or build, and he was at his absolute best when that was what he was up to. He relished a project in front of him: restoring old Porsches, Volkswagens, Austin-Healeys, Sunbeams, Triumphs, Mustangs, a Vista Cruiser, and even a Vespa scooter. His craftsmanship didn’t stop at cars — he was a masterful woodworker, a meticulous builder, and a driving force behind preserving and improving the family beach house, Ft. James, in Avon, NC, which will forever remain a place full of his fingerprints and his spirit.

Glynn loved his daughters, Kristin and Kate, with his whole heart. He supported every activity and endeavor they were involved in, allowed them to have a menagerie of critters of every imaginable type, gave sage and wise advice when asked, and was ready to prop them up when they slipped or fell. If there was anything they needed, he would move heaven and earth to get it for them. He taught them how to change motor oil and a tire, use power tools, properly edge a lawn, measure twice and cut once, and then “glue and screw” everything. They were young women, but as they were “James Girls,” he knew there was nothing a boy could do that the two of them could not do just as well. While he never said he wanted a son, he embraced his sons-in-law as his children, supporting them through thick and thin. Glynn adored his six grandchildren — Thacher, Madison, Ella, Sydney, Phoebe, and Owen — and recently welcomed his first great-grandchild, Sunday, who already had him wrapped around her little finger. Family was everything to Glynn, and he was never happier than when he was surrounded by them, preferably on a porch or deck with a cold drink in hand and a project about to be successfully finished nearby.

Golf was one of Glynn’s great passions, and for more than twenty years, he led an annual golf trip down to the Sandhills of North Carolina. Those trips were legendary — full of laughter, competition, and the infamous "James’s Rules of Golf," which are still quoted (and argued over) whenever the motley crew gathers. Glynn was our Captain, a role he loved and executed faithfully. “Point of order!”

Glynn faced his battle with pancreatic cancer with the same grit, grace, and courage that he brought to everything else in life. He leaves behind a family that loved him fiercely, faithful friends who admired him, and a legacy of hard work, devotion, and joy. He will be laid to rest, befittingly, at Arlington National Cemetery, joining his parents who are buried there.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for a donation to be made in Glynn’s name to Capital Caring Health at: https://capitalcaring-tributelights.funraise.org.

A celebration of life event is being planned.

We love you, Glynn. We hope the fairways are wide, the projects are endless, there are lots of limes for your G&T, and that you are keeping an eye on those of us you loved. We will continue to work to make you proud of what you built in us.

“Cedat Fortuna Peritis”