Obituary of James R. Johnstone

James R. Johnstone Batesburg - Funeral services for James R. Johnstone, 87, of Batesburg, will be held at 11:00 AM, Thursday, January 12, 2017 at Celebration Church Fellowship of Batesburg, 1765 Batesburg Hwy, Batesburg, SC 29006. Pastor Jerry Brunson will officiate. Interment with U.S. Navy honors will be held at Fort Jackson National Cemetery at 2:00 PM Thursday. The family will greet friends from 10:00AM to 11:00 AM at the church Thursday, prior to the service. Mr. Johnstone passed away Monday, January 9, 2017. Born in Fort Morgan, CO, he was a son of the late John R. and Sallie Thrasher Johnstone. Jim (or Bob, depending on how long you knew him) led a fulfilling life. He moved to South Carolina with his family when he was two years old. He served in the Navy, and was stationed on a ship off the coast of Korea during the Korean conflict. After leaving the service, he lived in several different states, eventually studying and received a Bachelor's Degree in electrical engineering. He worked in Saudi Arabia for 5 years on commercial building projects there. During that time, he had the opportunity to travel to many other countries during his down time. After returning to the states, he worked in various other jobs in the electrical field, including time in Washington D.C. After retiring, he moved to Marion S.C, and lived there until having to go into assisted living. He was a very unique person, with a lot of stories to tell and some experiences that a lot of us could only wish to have. His family and friends feel very blessed to have had the time that we had with him to get to know him and learn from him. He will be greatly missed, and was loved by many. He is survived by his daughters, Brenda Lovell (Ron McClure) of Leesville, Sharon Wolfe of Lexington; 4 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; 3 sisters, Laura "Susie" Holladay (John), Beatrice "Joyce" Pruett, and Loma Medecke. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a sister, Glenda Gore. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Celebration Church Fellowship of Batesburg Building Fund.