James "Jim" Milton Berdine, age 91, of Taylorsville, passed away on Saturday, July 15, 2017 at Valley Nursing Center, following a brief illness. Born in West Virginia on February 10, 1926, the son of the late Samuel F. and Edna Tennant Berdine, Jim honorably served his country as a Corporal in the US Army Air Corps. Before retirement, he served the children and families of North Carolina as Director of Alexander County Social Services, and also at Haywood and Burke County Social Services. He was a great conversationalist and enjoyed fly fishing, especially in West Virginia. Jim was a member at Reformation Lutheran Church and just loved people in general. Along with his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife Barbara Land Berdine.
Those left to cherish his memory include his sons: Daniel Berdine, of Vietnam and James Berdine, Jr., of Florida; step-daughters: Allison Gragg, of Shelby and Katherine Morefield, of Mooresville; granddaughters: Emily Gray, of Chapel Hill and Kelly Berdine, of Atlanta; and great-grandchildren: Diego and Sofia Briceño, of Atlanta.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Reformation Lutheran Church with visitation following in the fellowship hall. Internment of the cremains will occur in the Reformation Lutheran Church Memorial Garden. Memorials may be sent to Alexander County Crisis Center at 215 5th Avenue SW; Taylorsville, NC 28681.