James English Cousar III

Jim was born on June 15, 1921 in Tokyo, Japan to James E. Cousar, Jr. and Sarah Hansell Cousar who were serving as Presbyterian missionaries. The family returned to the United States in 1923 following the Tokyo earthquake. Jim and his sisters, Hansell and Lee, grew up in small towns in Virginia where their father was a pastor.

Jim graduated from Hampden Sydney College in 1942 and moved on to medical school at Johns Hopkins University. While at Hopkins he entered the United States Navy and was later commissioned as a Lieutenant junior grade. He graduated from Hopkins in 1945 and continued his training to as a thoracic surgeon there under Dr. Alfred Blalock, as well as New York Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital and the University of Michigan. He was discharged from the Navy in 1947.

While on a vacation to visit his family in Florence, South Carolina he met the love of his life, Mary Young. They were married in 1948 and recently celebrated their 69th anniversary.

Jim practiced thoracic surgery in Jacksonville until his retirement at the age of 70. He was a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He served as President of the staff at St. Vincent's Medical Center for two years.

Jim was a member of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville for almost 60 years, serving as President and as a delegate to the Rotary International convention in Birmingham England. He served on the boards of Riverside Presbyterian Day School, Bartram School and Thornwell Orphanage. He enjoyed a term on the Judicial Nominating commission. He was a member of Timuquana Country Club.

Next to his family, Jim's great love in life was the church. A life-long Presbyterian, he joined Riverside Presbyterian Church in 1954 and served as an usher, deacon and elder. He served as Clerk of the Session and as a commissioner to the General Assembly of the PCUSA, and taught a number of Sunday School classes over the years, covering topics from church history to theology to ethics and race relations. He loved teaching and discussing ideas.

Jim's interests were many and varied. He played golf (not well), and loved traveling and planning trips. He particularly loved trains and taking long train trips. He was never happier than when he was planning his next trip. He was an enthusiastic photographer. He was very knowledgeable about family genealogy.

Jim was extremely well-read and was proud of his "vast stories of useless information." He was a fierce trivia competitor. He was a polished story teller to a variety of audiences - family lore to children and grandchildren at holiday meals; jokes in the doctors' coffee rooms in many hospitals; ghost stories and yarns around campfires at Goldhead State Park. His ability to tell a good tale stayed with him to the end.

Jim was predeceased by his parents and his sister Hansell. He is survived by his beloved Mary and his four children; Mary Coxe(Hank), Jim Cousar(Donna), Charles Donaldson Cousar(Joan) and Martha Davis(Gardner). There are eleven grandchildren: Katie Fackler (Michael), Matson Coxe (Ashley), James Cousar, Molly Foukal (Nicholas), Anne English Mesrobian (David), Catherine Cousar(Terra), Charlie Cousar, Gardner Davis, Helen Cousar, Nick Cousar and Elizabeth Davis, as well as three great- grandchildren, Will and Teddy Fackler and Emerson Coxe. Jim is also survived by his sister Lee Tubbs(Jim) and his brother-in-law, Ted Young (Charlene) and 14 nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held at Riverside Presbyterian Church on Thursday July 20th at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions be made to Riverside Presbyterian Church.

Arrangements under the direction of Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, Jacksonville, FL.