James Fell, Sr

James “Jim” Fell, Sr., 88, went home to be with the Lord on January 4, 2021 after a long valiant battle with serious health issues. His devotion to his family and to his faith in God supported him in his struggle and ultimately gave him peace.

Jim was born December 14,1932 to Bill and Wanita Fell and grew up with two siblings in the Midwest, settling in St. Louis where he graduated from the University of Missouri and followed by serving our country in the U.S. Army. He married his first love, Peggy Dale, and raised their five children along with three foster children while running a commercial construction company. In 1980 he moved his family to Lakeland, Florida. After the passing of his wife in 1990, he started an engineering consulting firm, BE-CI and relocated to Destin where he retired in 2018.

He was blessed with a large, blended family in 2001 when he fell in love and married Jeanne Lemoine. He became a bonus father to her four children and their families. He affectionately was given the nicknames “JimDaddy” and “Tank” as he seemed to have more lives than a feline. He was “Papa” to his many grandchildren and more recently welcomed a couple of great grandchildren.

Jim was a wonderful husband, father, brother, uncle, papa, friend and mentor. He was loved and respected by those who met him. He had a unique sense of humor his family appreciated. He was knowledgeable on a wide array of topics. One of his endearing qualities was story telling about his past and family events, including his uncandid ability to embellish on some of the facts. He loved to write and was proud to self-publish his own short stories. Up to the day he passed, he was in the process of rewriting one of his short stories into a novel.

He had a big heart for those in need. He was instrumental in contributing to the development of Fresh Start in Fort Walton Beach, a shelter for families in need, and their resale shop which helped to fund the shelter. He went to Haiti to help establish clean water for those who had none. He loved serving others. He gave to many we will never know about. He taught his family to be more charitable, kinder, and put on their hearts to help others when they needed it. He leaves behind a legacy of wonderful memories and inspiring ways to serve the Lord.

He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife, twin babies, and a foster son. He leaves behind his wife, Jeanne Fell, his children Nancy (Johnny) McFalls, Jimmy (Carolyn) Fell, Angie (Dave) Brumfield, Michael (Keely) Fell, Danny (Rachel) Fell, Donna (Wayne) Pierce, Gil (Tanya) Lovelady, Pam Lovelady, and Terry (Cindy) Lovelady along with 19 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He was the beloved brother of Jerry (Bill) Lenox in St. Louis, Missouri and Jason (Joan) Fell in Tracy, California, a foster father to Ernie Brasher, the late Bob Brasher, and Jayne Donegan-Knight and an uncle to many nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by his fur-babies, Sammy, Bootsie and Chanel with whom he enjoyed sharing all his extra snacks.

A celebration mass will be held on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Destin at 10:00 am, with the church following local Covid guidelines. Flower arrangements can be sent to the church. A private burial will be held with family at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola. For the live stream please go online to ccdestin.com and the live stream will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Donations can be made to Fresh Start for Children and Families http://freshstartfl.com/ or the Health & Education Relief Services (HERO) Home (herononprofit.org).

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