James Patterson Ransom II

James P. Ransom II (Jay) died 19 January 2024 in Jacksonville. He was born in Camden NJ on 28 May 1934, the son of James Wallace and Dorothy Mae (House) Ransom. Jay grew up in Collingswood, NJ, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1956, and married Dale Simmler in April 1957.

He served 29 years as a submarine officer, commanding Naval Nuclear Power School Mare Island CA, USS PARGO (SSN 650), Submarine Development Group ONE, and Submarine Base New London CT before retiring as a Captain in 1985. He went on to work in ocean engineering on underwater systems. He and Dale moved to Fleet Landing in Atlantic Beach in 2017, where they made many friends.

Jay was predeceased by his parents and adored younger sister Lynn Preston. His is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years Dale, sons Jim (Anne), Scott (Cindy), and Tom (Kim), who all followed him into military service, six grandchildren [Kristin (Patrick), Jeffrey (Erin), Matthew, Michelle (Brennan), Nicholas (Lee), and Eric], and four great grandchildren.

A memorial service for James will be held Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 9:30 AM at Fleet Landing, 1 Fleet Landing Blvd, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233. Following the memorial service will be a graveside service from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM at Jacksonville National Cemetery, 4083 Lannie Road, Jacksonville, FL 32218 with full military honors.

Memorial donations may be sent to Community Hospice & Palliative Care of Jacksonville.