James Henry Tomerlin, 71, of Clayton, North Carolina, passed away on May 7, 2021. James was raised by Mr. and Mrs. Reed at their foster home located in Bossier City, Louisiana.
James was a member of the West Clayton Church of God. He was a master gardener from a young boy and later became a master welder, working for Container Products in Wilmington, North Carolina. James was also a proud member of the United States Marine Corps and served in Vietnam as a gunner. He damaged his eardrum during battle and became sick in the jungle before being transferred to a military hospital in Okinawa, Japan. For his service, James was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnamese Service Medal and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained during combat.
He is survived by his wife of 11 years, Carolyn Tomerlin, and is also survived by his step-daughter Joni Oliver Millage, his son Steven Paul Tomerlin; and his grandchildren Shane Millage and Thomas Millage.
Friends and family will gather at Bright Funeral Home, 405 S. Main Street, Wake Forest, NC at 2 PM on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 before leaving for the Perry-Smith Cemetery (also known as Smith Family Cemetery) located at the corner of Purnell (Service Rd. # 1909) & Hinton Rd. (Service Rd. # 1916) in Wake Forest.
A graveside service will begin at 2:30 PM at the cemetery.
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