James Justice

June 27, 1959 – September 15, 2026

James Donald Justice Jr., 67, of West Virginia, passed away on September 15, 2026, at Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston, West Virginia—the very same hospital where his life began on June 27, 1959.

Born in South Charleston and raised primarily in Teays Valley, James, also known as Jim, Big Jim, or “Jimmy” to those of his family and wild youth, was a lifelong Mountaineer whose life and work stretched across the state he called home.

Jim came from generations of builders. His father, and grandfather before him were builders and carpenters, and Jim proudly carried that legacy forward. Alongside his father, Jim helped build the schools, libraries, banks, churches, mausoleums, auditoriums, homes, and countless other structures throughout West Virginia. Their work became part of the communities they served, and many of those buildings remain standing today as quiet reminders of a family that spent generations building things meant to last.

In 1990, at the pinnacle of his career and while still a young man, Jim suffered a serious injury that ultimately forced him into an early retirement. What followed were more than two decades of physical challenges, accidents, health scares, and circumstances that would have broken the spirit of many normal men.

They never broke his.

Throughout his life, Jim survived several occasions when he came extraordinarily close to death. Time and again, he fought his way back. His son, Colton, believes there was a simple reason behind that remarkable will to live: Jim wasn’t finished being his dad.

He never stopped fighting for his son.

Unable to continue building with his hands as he once had, Jim turned his attention toward building something far more important. He raised his only child, Colton, and taught him through his words, his reputation, his character, and most importantly, his example. He showed his son what right looked like. He taught him what a man’s purpose in life should be, how he should treat other people, and what it meant to carry the Justice name.

Jim was a humble man and a quiet leader. He was respectful, appreciative, kind, generous, and loving. Even through years of extreme physical pain and hardship, he never once complained. He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him, never wanted to put anyone out, and never wanted someone to feel an inconvenience or burden for care. Instead, he was always more concerned with what he could give to others or what he could do to help someone else even in the most smallest of ways. Turns out, it was his time that was the most valuable gift he could give as he spent his adult years crafting wisdom and gold nuggets of thought and careful words that would leave everyone he met yearning for more time with Jim.

To his son, Jim was ten feet tall. He was the kind of hero a father should be—seemingly impenetrable, because no matter how many times life knocked him down, somehow Dad always got back up.

Jim also possessed an undeniable love for the outdoors that is difficult to adequately put into words. An avid hunter and masterclass fisherman, particularly a trout fisherman, some of his happiest days were spent “up in the mountains” of Pocahontas County around Cass and Green Bank, West Virginia, where his parents, Donald and Viola, lived.

Those mountains became the setting for some of the most formative moments shared between a father and son. Jim taught Colton everything he knew about hunting, fishing, and craft for the outdoors. More importantly, the countless hours they spent together in the woods, along the crystal streams, and up on Peter’s Mountain; it would be those memories and lessons that his son learned that will carry him and now his family for the rest of his life.

Jim is survived by his only son, Colton Justice; his daughter-in-law, Hope Justice; his granddaughters, Ebbie Joe Justice and Haven Jaymes Justice; his step-grandson, Slater Milford; and his precious sister, Jeanette Justice.

He was preceded in death by his father, James Donald Justice; his mother, Viola Justice; and his sister, Marcella “Marcy” Justice.

The greatest thing Jim ever built cannot be measured in brick, lumber, concrete, or steel.

When circumstances took away his ability to build the way generations of Justice men had before him, Jim spent the rest of his life building his son and countless other young men. Through his strength, humility, resilience, kindness, reputation, and unconditional love, he gave Colton an example of the man, father, and leader he should strive to become.

He was Dad. He was always ten feet tall. And he was his hero.

A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held on September 26, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm, followed by a Celebration of Life on September 26, 2026, at 1:00 pm.

Online condolences can be sent to the family at www.tylermountainfuneralhome.com