The family will receive friends on Wednesday evening, December 12, from 5-8 pm at Loflin Funeral Home in Liberty and other times at the home of Clint and Jessica Fields. The funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 13, at 11 am at First Baptist Church in Siler City; burial will follow in Dr. Clyde M. Gilmore Memorial Park in Julian.
“Jim” grew up in Dunn, North Carolina. When he was a young man his family relocated to Staley where his parents operated Wilson’s Store for many decades. He worked as a depot agent for the Staley and Liberty depots and other train depots throughout North Carolina, thus beginning his long time love of trains and train memorabilia. He graduated in 1967 from Elon University with a double major in business administration and history and a minor in English. As a Babcock Scholar, he attended the Wake Forest University School of Law on a full academic scholarship. During the summers of his legal education, he worked as an intern in the legal department of Southern Railway (now Norfolk Southern Railway) in Washington, DC. After graduating from Wake Forest with honors in 1970, he practiced corporate law for Southern Railway in Washington, DC for four years. He returned to Liberty in 1974 to set up his general practice. He handled domestic, real estate, corporate, criminal and civil cases to make his practice successful. He even found time to take on pro bono cases for the local humane society involving animal cruelty. His legal career also included successful arguments before the NC Court of Appeals. He served as Liberty’s town attorney for over a decade. He was an astute businessman, who in 1965, became co-owner of an international pet food company based in Great Britain. He, along with his late wife, Peggy Elmore Wilson also successfully owned and operated eight convenient stores in Alamance and Randolph Counties until 1999. He has been honored as Businessman of the Year by the Liberty Chamber of Commerce and Man of the Year by the Liberty Rotary Club.
In 2000, he began to concentrate his law practice in the areas of estate planning, Medicaid planning and asset protection. He was regarded by many of his colleagues as an expert in the field of elder law. To date, his firm still does not advertise nor does it have a web site; nonetheless, his firm has been successful in serving Medicaid clients and their families in 98 counties through referrals only, primarily from existing clients or their families. With the help of his long time legal staff, the firm expanded into the Law Offices of James L. Wilson in 2005. And, once he lovingly completed the three-year renovations, his firm relocated into the 1800’s Victorian home known locally as “The Wylie House” where his practice remains today. The renovation of The Wylie House and the Liberty Train Depot were some of his proudest accomplishments. He expanded his firm in 2012 and again in 2016 with the hiring of two attorneys to carry on his practice of caring for the elderly and to ensure that his staff, which he loved like family, would be secure.
Besides his passion for the law he was also an avid sports fan who loved his Wake Forest Demon Deacons and attended most home basketball and football games. He had a kind heart when it came to all animals, but he was especially devoted to his beloved dog Coco and she to him. He appreciated the love of his family and often said that God blessed him twice when he married Sue and gained two children, who he referred to as his own.
He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Sue Fesmire Wilson; two children and spouses: Gina Fields Pike and her husband, Murphy and Clint Ryan Fields and his wife, Jessica; two sisters: Shirley Beasley of Staley and Betty Parker of Garner; niece, Ellen Parker Baker; his nephews and spouses: Chris Wilson and his wife, Janet, Mike Wilson and his wife, Mary, Danny Parker and his wife, Lisa, Ronnie Parker and his wife, Amber, Wayne Beasley and his wife, Ann, and Anthony Beasley; and grandchildren: Madilyn Fields, Lillian Pike and Cooper Fields.
He was the son of the late James Alton Wilson and Nora Jernigan Wilson; and was also preceded in death by his first wife, Peggy Elmore Wilson and his brother, Tommy C. Wilson.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to First Baptist Church of Siler City, 314 N 2nd Avenue, Siler City, NC 27344; Happy Hills Animal Foundation, 3143 Happy Hills Drive, Staley, NC 27355; or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 1000, Department 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142.
Please share your thoughts and memories with the family at www.LoflinFH.com.
Loflin Funeral Home of Liberty is honored to serve the Wilson family.
