James Robert Stearns
November 22, 1940 – October 17, 2022
James Robert Stearns passed away surrounded by his family, on Oct. 17, 2022, in Sun City Center, Fla., at the age of 81. He was born Nov. 22, 1940, in Nyack, N.Y., to parents Harry and Edna Stearns. As a young man, James enlisted in the U.S Army, serving faithfully as a sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division and completing multiple tours in Vietnam. With over a decade of service he was honorably discharged and returned home to marry and raise children.
His primary occupation was that of a welder, but those who knew James knew him as a jack-of-all-trades and a man you could always count on to help you with any project you wanted to tackle. He was married to Elizabeth Stearns for 39 years until her passing in 2011.
His later years were spent in Sun City Center where he met and married his loving wife Beverly in 2013. James left a special mark on the lives of everyone he encountered. He is survived by his brother, William Stearns; his daughters, Maja Cleveland, Roberta Marvel, Barbara Wagner, Rosie Ward, Debbie Jeffreys and Pamela Pruitt; his sons, Roy Ward, James Michael Stearns, Richard Barrett II and William Barrett; his 24 grandchildren; his 28 great-grandchildren; 20 great-great-grandchildren; and his wife, Beverly Stearns, who will miss him tremendously.
A committal service with military honors will be held at the Florida National Cemetery on January 13, 2023, at 11 a.m. in Bushnell, Fla., for all those who knew James.
His primary occupation was that of a welder, but those who knew James knew him as a jack-of-all-trades and a man you could always count on to help you with any project you wanted to tackle. He was married to Elizabeth Stearns for 39 years until her passing in 2011.
His later years were spent in Sun City Center where he met and married his loving wife Beverly in 2013. James left a special mark on the lives of everyone he encountered. He is survived by his brother, William Stearns; his daughters, Maja Cleveland, Roberta Marvel, Barbara Wagner, Rosie Ward, Debbie Jeffreys and Pamela Pruitt; his sons, Roy Ward, James Michael Stearns, Richard Barrett II and William Barrett; his 24 grandchildren; his 28 great-grandchildren; 20 great-great-grandchildren; and his wife, Beverly Stearns, who will miss him tremendously.
A committal service with military honors will be held at the Florida National Cemetery on January 13, 2023, at 11 a.m. in Bushnell, Fla., for all those who knew James.