James “Jimmy” Harper

James Madison Harper III of Southport left us on the night of July 6, 2018, after a short battle with leukemia while in the company of the one who loved him most. He has joined others who have gone before him, including his father James Madison Harper Jr., his mother Margaret Taylor Harper and his daughter Margaret (“Meg”) Harper Tuttle. He has left behind many who love him dearly, including his beloved wife Edna Virginia (“Ginger”) Harper, his brother Edward T. Harper, his son James Madison Harper IV, his son-in-law Lawrence Joseph (“Joe”) Tuttle, his daughters Virginia (“Gina”) Canady Gouger and her husband Scott Stanley Gouger and Anna Myers Canady, his grandchildren Margaret Kathleen Tuttle, Clay Harper Tuttle, Jonah Foster Gouger, Joshua Lee Mote, Marissa Alexandra Mote and AngaElla Canady Watkins, his loved ones Robert Watkins, Tonya Watkins, Jessica Mote and Shaun Mote, special nieces Morgan Harper and Julianne Hollingsworth, countless other nieces, nephews and cousins, and Jahaila (“Josie”) Morris Harper, the mother of Jimmy’s son James and his late daughter Meg. Born in Southport on October 7, 1938, Jimmy spent his life recording—in words and in pictures—the world around him. After graduating in 1956 from Southport High School, he attended UNC-Chapel Hill, where he studied English and was involved in the Navy ROTC. Jimmy graduated from UNC and served in the Navy before going on to write for various newspapers—including the Chicago Tribune, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot and the Detroit Free Press—during which time he earned numerous awards and two nominations for Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism. Jimmy eventually returned to Southport and began taking award-winning photographs for the same newspaper to which his parents dedicated their own lives. From then on referred to simply as “the camera dude,” Jimmy felt at ease behind the lens and especially enjoyed capturing quintessential Southport images and special family moments on film; even more, he loved capturing the joy and spirit of his dear Ginger. He was a pillar of the Southport community, loved by all who knew him, and remained a loyal member of Trinity United Methodist Church until his death. Jimmy will forever be remembered as a devoted husband, a dedicated father, an ever-present grandfather and a man of remarkably subtle wit. In addition, his love for fishing and for gardening will live on in those whom he taught to fish and to garden, and his pictures will always remain treasured mementos, allowing those of us he left behind to see the world through his loving brown eyes. We will miss him terribly. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to any of the following organizations that meant so much to Jimmy: — SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals (123 Old Mason Farm Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27517); — Southport Fire and Rescue (1011 N. Howe St., Southport, NC 28461); — Margaret and James Harper Jr. Library (109 W. Moore St., Southport, NC 28461); — SECU Hospice House of Brunswick-Lower Cape Fear Hospice (955 Mercy Lane SE, Bolivia, NC 28422); — Dosher Memorial Hospital (924 N. Howe St., Southport, NC 28461); — Trinity United Methodist Church (209 E. Nash St., Southport, NC 28461). Or any cancer research organization of one’s choice. Services will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Southport on Saturday, July 14, at 2 p.m. Online condolences may be made at www.peacocknewnamwhite.com. Peacock - Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service, Southport, NC.