Steven L. James

Steven L. James Sr., 69, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. He was born on November 16, 1954, to James Jackson and Bessie James (nee Solomon) at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Raised in Somerville, NJ, he graduated from Malcolm Shabazz High School in Newark, Class of 1974, and continued his education at Union County College in New Jersey.

Steve married Yvonne Brown in 1975 and proudly welcomed one son, Steven James, Jr.  In 2002, he married Patricia Burt (nee Conklin); who had two children, Jalise Burt and Charles Burt; and the family relocated to Orange Park, FL in 2003.

Steven’s career took him to various impactful roles, including positions at Somerville Borough Hall, and director-level roles in New Jersey at Gannett Courier News and Rutgers University, New Brunswick.  Steve eventually retired from Baptist Medical Center Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.

Steve had a profound love for ministry and was ordained as a deacon in 2008. Subsequently, he became an ordained minister in 2014. He volunteered at the City Rescue Mission in Jacksonville, taking on several inspiring roles. Throughout his life, Steven’s dedication to ministry was mirrored by his deep commitment to his family and community.

He had a passion for the blues, his BBQ grill and renovating houses. Steve enjoyed sharing a good joke, a competitive card game (Spades was his favorite), loved his trips to the shooting range, and never turned down a good TV series, movie, or plate of crab legs.

Steven was predeceased by his parents, Bessie and James, but he carried their legacy forward in the way he lived his life—with love, integrity, and a heart full of joy. 

He leaves cherished memories with his loving wife, Patricia James; son Steven James Jr. (Lynette) of Washington, DC and grandsons, Steven L. James III and Logan Ellington James; step-daughter, Jalise B. Andrews (Simone) of Brooklyn, NY and step-son, Charles G. Burt of Columbia, MD; step-grandsons, Julian James Andrews and Amari Scott Andrews; brothers, Kenneth James (Evelyn) of Chagrin Falls, OH and Bernard James (Valerie) of New Providence, NJ; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and a multitude of loving friends.

All those who knew and loved him are grateful for their time spent with Steve. He will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

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