John James Ormond

The Reverend John James Ormond died on March 31, 2015, at Trinity Grove in Wilmington, North Carolina. John, also known as "Jack" by family and others, was born on November 3, 1926, in Houston, Texas, to Lewis Fisher Ormond and Mary Belle Ormond. His family moved to Wilmington when he was ten years old, and he graduated from New Hanover High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a paratrooper with the occupying forces in Japan soon after the surrender. He later graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Virginia Theological Seminary. John's ministry was most important to him. He served the Episcopal Church as a priest for sixty years. He faithfully served the Diocese of East Carolina as Rector of St. Paul's, Wilmington; St. Francis, Goldsboro; and Church of the Advent, Williamston. He also served as Deacon at Christ Episcopal Church, Hope Mills; Good Shepard, Fayetteville; and St. Philip's, Holly Ridge; as Rector of St. Paul's, Petersburg, Virginia, and as Curate at St. James, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. John served the Diocese of East Carolina as a member of the Transition Committee, Secretary of the Diocese, President of the Standing Committee, and deputy to The General Convention. During his lifetime, John loved two Labrador Retrievers, Julian and Bud, and a cat, Chessie, among many others. John often thought of his long-time home on Masonboro Sound with the well-remembered phrase "land that I love." John once wrote that Mother Nature's glories live on, aided by caretakers who are stewards of God's beneficence for a little while. The family acquired the property three days after D-Day in 1944, and passed it on to other caretakers in 2005. John also found much enjoyment at the Brightmore Independent community, where he lived from 2005 until recently. Reverend Ormond held and displayed a deep reverence for the sacramental life of the Church and offered true and laudable worship. He was a warm, caring pastor, and a gentleman in all his dealings, showing the highest regard and the deepest care for each individual. We give thanks for his faithful witness and ministry. John was preceded in death by his parents and older brother, David Lewis Ormond, and his cousin Eric Mueller. He is survived by his nephew David Lewis Ormond, Jr., his wife Mara, and their daughter, Lula Margaret, by his niece Ann Lee Howard and her son Samuel James Howard, and by his sister-in-law Ann Ormond. There will be a memorial service in thanksgiving of John's life at St. James Parish, 25 S. 3rd Street, Wilmington, on Saturday, April 4, 2015, at 11:00 a.m., with a reception in the Great Hall immediately following the service. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, John requested memorial contributions be made to St. James Parish, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Lower Cape Fear Hospice, or other charity of choice. Andrews Market Street Chapel