James Milton Bobbitt
October 9, 1931 — February 23, 2016
James “Jim” Milton Bobbitt, 84, of Sanford, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 23. in the company of family.
Jim is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary Ellen Bobbitt, his brother R.H. Bobbitt, his daughter Melissa Donovan, son-in-law Brad Donovan and granddaughter Molly Donovan. Jim was preceded in death by sisters LaVerna Clapp and Betsy Baker.
Jim was born Oct. 9, 1931 in Sanford, NC, to James Berry and Cornelia Smith Bobbitt. He graduated from Sanford Central High School in 1952 and immediately joined the US Air Force.
In 1960, he met Mary Ellen Jones in Greensboro while working as an Installer for Western Electric. He began working for AT&T in 1962, beginning a life of travel that would last two decades. He married Mary Ellen in 1966 and they continued their journey, settling in Barbados, Guam and Nova Scotia.
Their daughter, Melissa Ann, was born in Norfolk, VA Oct. 13, 1967. They returned to Greensboro, NC before moving to Raleigh, NC in 1979. They retired in 1994, Jim as Chief Engineer of Design Control at Northern Telecom and Mary Ellen as a Deputy Clerk for the NC Court of Appeals.
In retirement, Jim enjoyed Mary Ellen’s cooking, porch-sitting in the afternoons, spending time with family and his dog, Mr. Bo, and listening to Love Potion No. 9.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Alzheimer’s research at www.alz.org.