James "Jimmy" Fletcher Bishop, age 83, of Pensacola, Florida, passed away Saturday, December 17, 2022, at West Florida Hospital. He was born September 2, 1939, in Lake City, Florida to James Fletcher Bishop, Sr. and Florrie (Branan) Bishop.

Jimmy attended Columbia High School in Lake City, where he gained a life-long interest in electronics after attending Radio Science Class. He graduated in 1957 and immediately joined the Naval Reserve. That summer he was called to active duty, and attended boot camp in Bainbridge, Maryland, as a member of their last graduating company.

During a noteworthy Naval career, Jimmy attended Electronic Technician A School in Illinois; served in Florida and then Pascagoula, Mississippi, where he met his future wife of 59 years; attended Electronic Technician B School in California; and at several duty stations in Virginia, where he attended Guided Missile School and Shipboard Inertial Navigation System Training. Shortly after their wedding, Jimmy and Carol moved to Rota, Spain, where their first son, Scott, was born; then Hawaii, where their second son, Steven, was born, and to Virginia for the birth of their third son, Bryon. After another two years in Pascagoula, the family returned to Virginia, where Jimmy eventually retired from the Navy in 1980, as a Chief Warrant Officer W4.

Moving to Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., Jimmy worked with government contractors in the private sector. Not one to remain idle, he also volunteered as an auxiliary police officer in Fairfax County, Virginia for 17 years, and attended Virginia Theological Seminary for his own personal enrichment. His sons remember him as the first to arrive and the last to leave at every event for which he volunteered. He eventually retired from Anteon in 2000.

Jimmy and Carol retired to Pensacola in 2000. During the next 22 years they traveled, survived hurricanes, volunteered at the Sanger Theater, and made many life-long friends. Jimmy was involved with the Emergency Radio ARRL, the Pensacola Calligraphy Guild, taught defensive driving courses for AARP, was the elected pastor at the Community of Christ Congregation for several years, and later filled several roles at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church.

Jimmy Bishop is survived by his wife, Caroline Ladnier Bishop; his three sons, James Scott Bishop from Florida; Steven (Caroline [Watt], Rebekah, and Moira) Bishop from Missouri and John Bryon (Stephanie [Peck], Elliott, and Sam) Bishop from Washington D.C.; his sisters, Kathleen Durrance and Mary Farmer; his sister-in-law, LaNita (Kieser) Bishop, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, grandnieces and -nephews, and great-grandnieces and -nephews.

Jimmy was welcomed into the Lord's presence by his parents, James Fletcher Bishop, Sr., Florrie Kathleen (Branan) Bishop, and his brother, Robert "Bobby" Bishop.

A memorial service and reception celebrating Jimmy's life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 29, 2022 at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church located at 3200 N 12 ^th Ave, Pensacola, FL, 32503.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in Jimmy's name to St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, 3200 N 12 ^th Avenue, Pensacola, FL, 32503 for their disaster relief fund, Outreach International, https://outreach-international.org or your favorite charity.