ROCKY POINT — Beloved husband, father, and grandfather Arthur James Whitehurst Sr., age 71, passed away peacefully in his home in Rocky Point, North Carolina on August 6, 2022, after completing a year of glioblastoma brain cancer treatment. Arthur James was known as Jim, Peepaw, G-man, JW and Jimbo. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bell Marie and Joseph Whitehurst of Tarboro, NC.
He was born and raised in Tarboro, NC and graduated from Tarboro High School in 1970. He attended Wayne College in Goldsboro, NC and received his degree in Industrial Engineering.
As an industrial engineer, Jim was successful in multiple roles, including construction engineer and inspector positions for Duke Power Nuclear Plant in Charlotte, NC, Division of Transportation in Raleigh, Town of Cary, and the City of Wilmington. He was hired as the city construction engineer and inspector in Wilmington on August 8th, 2005 and retired on September 1st, 2015.
Jim has been an avid lover of the outdoors, maintaining a lifetime membership with the NC wildlife association for deer hunting, coastal and recreational fishing. For decades, he has provided generous support to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and the Wounded Warriors Project. Jim is also a member of the Sons of the Confederate Soldiers (George Davis Camp #5) in Wilmington, NC.
In his most recent 12 years, he has loved selling local and regional primitive homestead antiques. He has been very proud of his annual contribution to the Southern Farms Show providing support to the Lake Waccamaw Boys’ and Girls’ Homes. His antique friendships and relationships have been invaluable to him and our family over the years.
Above all else, Jim loved his family. He is survived by his wife, Susan Ruddle Whitehurst, married on March 20th, 2010, on the North East Cape Fear River, and by his children, Arthur James Whitehurst Jr. (Jamy) and Tasha Whitehurst of Wilmington, Christopher Bryan Whitehurst and Marissa Whitehurst of Wilmington, Dustin Gray Whitehurst and Kimi Whitehurst of Rocky Mount, Kelly Mclean Ladd and Michael Ladd of Denver, NC; Katie McLean Watkins and Philip Watkins of Haw River, NC.
Jim has enjoyed great outdoor activities, feeding the birds and the squirrels, arrowhead and relic hunting, bottle digging with his boys, float trips down the Tar River, fishing, and hunting with his 9 grandchildren; Ben (18), Alex (15), Cayden (15), River (10), Colton (8), Reese (7), Emmie (4), June (1), Everest (1). A celebration of life will be scheduled at his river home at a future date, to be determined.
In his memory, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ASPCA, Lower Cape Fear LifeCare (Hospice), or your local HOSPICE organization of choice.
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