Luther James

Luther James was born July 19, 1930, to the late Horace ‘Temple’ Sr. and Fannie Lewis James. He was the fourth child of nine children. Luther was affectionately known as “Do, Daddy Do, Granddad, and Big Lou”. Luther departed this life peacefully at his home on Friday, February 5, 2021.

Luther received his education at the Wickham School in Ashland and the Hanover County Training School. Luther was baptized under the late Rev. Mason at Providence Baptist Church where he was a lifelong member. As a proud member of the Male Chorus, Luther’s gift was often shared by singing “In the Sweet By and By”.

Luther started working at an early age on Harrison’s Farm near Ashland. He began working at Luck’s Chevrolet Motor Company in 1946. In 1951, he was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War. After his military service, he returned to Luck’s and stayed a total of 22 1/2 years. After leaving Luck’s, Luther started working at Richfood (SuperValue) where he retired in 1992. Luther often said he was the best forklift operator at Richfood.

Luther was known for his knowledge of family history, giving those he knew unique nicknames, sitting on his deck or porch watching traffic and passersby, and supervising his sons doing yardwork or putting things together. He would often say “Everybody knows it wouldn’t take me that long to put that together”. He loved watching football and was an avid Washington Redskins and Dodgers fan.

He was preceded in death by his wife Frances C. James and daughter Carolyn V. Cash. Luther leaves to cherish his memory daughter, Gloria D. Miller; three sons, Kenneth, Luther (Stacilyn), and Timothy James; grandchildren; Kimberly (Will) Thompson, Craig Miller, Shannon Cash, Jessica, Megan, and Jalen James, Elijah and Ayanna Thompson; great grandchildren; Jazmine Burton, Craig Miller Jr., Kenneth Miller, Kiersten Lundy, Avery Butler, Briana Thompson, Keonn Johnson, Xavier Thompson, Ameerah Harris, Aiden, Ethan, and Brooklyn Miller; great-great grandchildren; John Nutter Jr., Liam and Legaci Lundy, Hailey Luna; one sister, Dorothy Roane, one sister-in-law Bea Carter, three brothers-in-law Ernest Redford Sr., Leroy Jones, and William Jones and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Special appreciation is extended to Stacilyn and Timothy James for their unwavering support. Thank you to Ricky Holman for always checking on him and bringing him fruit, and Sharina Bowdry with Amedisys Hospice for her exceptional care.