James Joseph Tankersley

He was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on March 13, 1947 to the late James Edwin Tankersley and Virginia Richardson Tankersley. "Jimmy Joe" was an only child who lived in a neighborhood filled with a row of small homes for veterans returning from WWII. Being the baby boomer era, at one point, his mother counted thirty-five children in his back yard. His family did not have much, but, needless to say, he had a wonderful childhood. Upon graduating from Fairfield High School with Honors in 1965, he attended The Ohio State University where he received his degree in Computer Science in 1969. He also went through the U.S. Army ROTC program at OSU and was a Distinguished Military Graduate. After two years of active service and six years in the reserves, he achieved the rank of Captain. He went on to get two other degrees - a Masters in Computer Science and an MBA. He joined Procter & Gamble in 1972 and had a rewarding thirty year career with P&G in Information Technology.

Jim loved the Lord Jesus and throughout his life he was active in the church. He was a board member at John Wesley UM church for many years. He called on first-time visitors and built sets for the Living Cross production at Springdale Church of the Nazarene. He also called on first-time visitors at Cornerstone Church in Florida and conducted Connections Pastor studies at both Springdale and Cornerstone. He participated in mission trips to Guatemala and Cuba serving the Lord in a variety of ways. Other achievements include being a former Director of Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, former Board of Director for Fishing Has No Boundaries and Bowl for Kid’s Sake.

Jim enjoyed traveling, golfing, and spending time with family and friends anywhere, but especially at his favorite place in the world - the cottage on Lake Bartholomew in Michigan. There he enjoyed boating, fishing, campfires, fireworks, and many others traditions. He also spent years building an enormous model train railroad which his grandsons loved to help him create. Every summer Jim hosted “Grandpa Camp” for his two grandsons where he intentionally invested in their lives (and spoiled them silly!). His greatest accomplishment in life is having two children who love the Lord.

Jim was also passionate about the Ohio State Buckeyes and loved to cheer on his favorite football team. He was supposed to graduate from OSU in June 1969, but because he loved the Buckeyes so much and wanted to see another football season, he graduated in December 1969.

He is survived by his former wife, Sue Tankersley; son, Brandon Tankersley; daughter, Alyssa (Chris) Angel, and his two grandsons, Ethan and Tanner.

In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation to support the funding of The Chosen, a multi-season television series about the life of Christ.

https://studios.vidangel.com/the-chosen/pif

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Friday, November 6, 2020 at West Chester Nazarene Church on 7951 Tylersville Rd in West Chester, Ohio. The visitation will be from 10:00-11:00am with a service beginning at 11am. Masks will be required and spaced seating will be provided.

A Celebration of Life service will also be held in Sarasota at a later date in 2021.