He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Virginia “Ginny,” his four children, Chris (Beth) Verne, Barbara (Keith) Seymour, Michael Virzi, and Sara (Tom) Barr, and his grandchildren Wesley, Melissa, Zachary, Joshua, Nicholas, Virginia, Alex, Rachel, and Emily, along with his brother Robert (Trish) Verne of Chapel Hill, NC. He was preceded in death by his parents, Philip Stephen and Evelyn Tennant Verne, and his grandson Eric.
A native of Cleveland, OH, Jim moved with his family from Columbus, OH, to Spartanburg, SC, in 1976. In his career Jim worked as an engineer, and he played golf throughout his life. In retirement, Jim enjoyed volunteering at public libraries and the SC State Museum, traveling around the world by air, sea, and rail with Ginny, and traveling around Columbia on foot with his backpack and a mental map of local coffee houses. He was a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan and enjoyed going to baseball games in whatever town he lived in or traveled to. He was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, SC.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia (2701 Heyward St., Columbia, SC 29205) or Leeza’s Care Connection (201 St. Andrew's Rd., Columbia, SC, 29210).
The family will gather for a private burial at Ramsey Creek Preserve. A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia.
