Joan Louise James

Joan Louise James was born on September 4, 1933 to the late Deacon Cornelius and Minnie Jackson. She met her high school sweetheart and husband, William James, and after that, the love of a lifetime blossomed into marriage on October 13, 1956, and from this union, two children were born. They took their marriage vows seriously and their love and devotion to one another was noticed by all and will be long remembered by the family. Joan received the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior and was baptized at the First Baptist Church of Riverhead, Riverhead, New York, under the pastorate of Rev. John Joseph. Joan and William were long-time residents of Riverhead, New York, until they decided to relocate to Smyrna, Delaware, on November 10, 2012, and became members of Calvary Baptist Church, on March 15, 2015, under the pastorate of Apostle Richard M. Avant. She always loved to talk about the Lord and instilled in her children the importance of needing the Lord in their lives. If you asked her what her favorite song or hymn was, she couldn’t just give you one; she had a list of them. She loved gospel music. Her favorites were “Walk Around Heaven All Day” and “Stand”. Her favorite scripture was the 23rd Psalm, because she knew He was the one to call on, and we heard her many times doing so during her illness. Joan was a high-end, upscale interior decorator. She loved sewing, and she had the gift of bringing anything in the home back to life and making a masterpiece out of it. She loved to shop at yard sales and could always find the perfect piece for her home, and would work miracles on it with a flare that no one else but Joan could do. She had so many “home gifts”, but her passions were fishing and sports. We’ll all remember so well when Joan and her brother, Deacon Lawyer Jackson, would get up before the chickens to go fishing. Oh how she loved watching sports on TV and going to games. She also loved to have the young people return to her home to eat. She also had a great sense of humor, and some of those expressions she would say we’ll never forget. She’ll be fondly remembered for her love for her husband and children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews. As a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, in-law, aunt, cousin and friend, we can truly say that she was also the epitome of the woman in Proverbs 31. While Joan lay sleeping, a still, small voice came quietly by her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and ushered her peacefully into his presence on Wednesday morning, January 24, 2018. She leaves to mourn: her loving husband of 61 years, William James; son, Anthony James (Jerry) (NY); daughter, Iris Wright (Eddie) (MD); grandson, Justin Wright (NY); granddaughter, Sharice Wallace (Edwin) (NY); great-granddaughter, Shaylin Wallace (NY); one brother, Charles Jackson (NC); sister, Lillian Burris (Norris) (NY); sister, Charlotte Nelson (NY); sisters-in-law, Teal Jackson (NY), Betty Ruth (DE); Doris James (DE) and Rose James (NY); brothers-in-law, Norris Burris (NY), Henry Ellis (NJ), Deacon Carl James (Rose) (NY) ( and J.C. Teague (DE); goddaughter, Donna Burris (NY), and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joan Louise James, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Joan Louise James

September 4, 1933 - January 24, 2018