James Philip Mitton

James was born November 17, 1997, to Felicity Lois (Mitton) Sanders and George Philip Mitton. He was loved beyond measure from the beginning by his parents, grandparents, and extended family.

James was intellectually gifted, loved learning, and excelled academically. He consistently scored above the 98th percentile on standardized tests and was always on the Honor Roll. An active scholar whose education went far beyond the walls of SandHoke Early College High School, he graduated with honors, a leader in National Honor Society, Mu alpha Theta Math Honor Society, and Beta Club, but he truly stood out and made his mark on the speech and debate team. As a Congressional debater, James earned numerous academic awards, including earning a degree of Outstanding Distinction for his achievements at the national level. Competing and often placing at well over fifty tournaments from Harvard to Columbia to George Mason to UNC to Duke, and to the University of Florida; he was SandHoke Early College’s very first Congressional Debate Captain and the first to qualify to compete in the National Speech and Debate competition. Graduating high school with both a high school diploma and an Associate of Science degree in engineering, James lived life to the fullest and shared in his graduation banquet speech that “I have spent countless hours with … the team..and, for that, I am forever grateful…. In that time, I have grown as a person… learning the invaluable skill of hard work.. to speak publicly, without a script, …and to … always lend a helping hand.”

James was an avid reader and aspiring writer. He could often be found reading a book or reading fan fiction on his phone. He loved Harry Potter, Science Fiction, Star Wars (but not Star Trek), legos, and chess. He was witty and loved to hate “dad jokes.” James was also a “foodie” and a devoted “Swifty” (Taylor Swift fan).

James was a loving, kind, and compassionate soul. He had volunteered at the local library while in school. While on the debate team, he helped run the middle school tournament and moderated the Hoke County Commissioner debates for two years in a row. As an adult, he chaired the Animal Welfare Committee appointed by his county Board of Commissioners. He spent many hours of his free time helping with dog rescue. With his family, he helped with numerous building projects and helped with animal and household chores daily, despite not being a fan of the heat and humidity of outdoor chores. He was helpful and kind to everyone he met and so many people have shared stories of the ways in which James saw a need and helped.

He worked in an administrative role at Comprehensive Treatment Center in Pinehurst and had been promoted twice within the last year, due to his kind nature and outstanding work ethic. His supervisor planned to promote him again, and he was studying for a counseling certificate as well. Staff and patients loved him so much that they set up a memorial at work for him and are building an outdoor library box in his honor.

James loved to travel. With his parents, he had been to England, Canada, the Bahamas, the Grand Canyon, Alaska, the National Parks of the western United States, Asheville, and throughout most of the eastern United States. He traveled often with his debate team to Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Florida, as well as to Utah to compete nationally. He was scheduled to go on the trip of a lifetime, a cruise of Greece and Italy with his “Roomie” Grandma Jeffries next summer.

James was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Josephine and Robert Harris, and his paternal grandfathers, Gary Jeffries and David Mitton. Grieving the loss of James are his mother Felicity Lois Sanders, father George Philip Mitton, stepfather Robert Sanders, and stepmother Judi Troeger. He is also grieved by grandparents Bruce and Melody James and Patricia Jeffries, stepsisters Ariel Salmon, Kaitlyn Sanders, and Paige Sanders, aunts and uncles Clay and Patricia James, Susan Mitton and Mike Wilson, Joanne and Brian Branesky, and Zach and Ashleigh Mitton, numerous cousins, his close friend and mentor Lindy Forester, as well as other family, friends and co-workers,.

Our lives are forever altered by James’ death, but we are also forever enriched and blessed for having known and loved this most beautiful soul.

A memorial service will be held at 1 pm, August 17, 2024 at Crumpler Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, James would request that donations be made to Reading is Fundamental, Reach Out and Read, any other reputable reading charity or any reputable animal shelter or rescue.