AHOSKIE – James Oliver  Sellars, known to many friends as Jim, died Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the age of 84. He had courageously battled heart and kidney disease for several years.

Born January 28, 1927 in Supply, NC in Brunswick County to the late Milie and John Sellars, he was predeceased by four brothers, Dewey, Riley, Roland and Warren Sellars.

He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Eunice Tipton Sellars; his daughter, Lisa and her husband, John Newsome, of Ahoskie; his daughter, Amy and her husband, Mike Freelander, of Durham; and two grandchildren, Holli Brown Newsome of Wilmington and James Edward Jackson Newsome of Raleigh.

After serving in the United States Army in World War II, he returned home and received a degree in engineering in Kansas City, Missouri and a degree in business from King’s Business College in Charlotte. He and his family moved to Ahoskie in 1956 where he worked for the N.C. Department of Transportation, Right of Way Division, for 42 years. He was a long-time faithful member of the First Baptist Church of Ahoskie and the Radio Bible Class, serving as president of the class.

He was active in the community as a member of the Ahoskie Kiwanis Club where he served as president and Lt. Governor for the district. He also volunteered at Roanoke Chowan Hospital serving as the president for the hospital’s auxiliary board for many years. He served for many years on the board of directors for Roanoke Electric Association. For the past twenty-five years, he devoted time and energy to the Ahoskie Rural Volunteer Fire Department, serving as chairman of the board of directors and assisting the department in many ways. In 2009, the Ahoskie Rural Volunteer Fire Department dedicated in his name their building on Main Street in honor of his years of outstanding service to the department.

A proud owner of a motor home, he and his wife traveled extensively for years visiting every state in the continental U.S. and parts of Canada. They enjoyed many long trips across the country, stopping at most of our national parks.

He will always be remembered by his children and grandchildren for his kind and generous spirit, cheerful joking manner and willingness to serve others.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at the First Baptist Church of Ahoskie.

Memorial donations are requested to the Baptist Children’s Home of North Carolina, P.O. Box 338, Thomasville, NC, 27361-9911 or the Ahoskie Rural Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., P.O. Box 43, Ahoskie, NC 27910.

Friends and family may send online condolences to www.garrettjonesfh.com.

Garrett-Jones Funeral Home of Ahoskie is serving the Sellars family.