Jacksonville civic leader James Horner Winston is being remembered for his kindness and support.
Winston, 84, died Wednesday after an illness.
Services are scheduled at 2 p.m. Sept. 25 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at 4129 Oxford Ave.
A visitation is scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. today at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home at 729 Edgewood Ave. S.
“There will always be a huge hole in our hearts for him. He loved Jacksonville and did so much for Jacksonville and never stopped wanting to do more,” said his wife, Jeanne Bass Winston.
“Everyone was lifted up by him,” she said. “He mentored everyone he met.
“I never go anyplace in this city that someone doesn’t take me aside to tell me he gave them their first job” or share another way he helped.
Mike Tolbert, an assistant to former Mayor Jake Godbold, called Winston a “wonderful, kind human being. A true giant.”
“He was known as a leader and he was a true one. He will be missed,” said former City Council member Faye Rustin in a Facebook post.
“A great man,” commented World Affairs Council of Jacksonville Executive Director and CEO Trina Medarev. “And with his passing, a great loss for our community.”
Winston, a North Carolina native and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was stationed in Jacksonville during his Navy service and chose to live in the city.
He and his wife, Mary, who died in 2009, raised two children.
Jim and Mary Winston supported Jacksonville causes, including the YMCA that named its new Riverside Avenue location the Winston Family YMCA.
The Episcopal School of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Symphony, the University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville, the World Affairs Council, WJCT and JAX Chamber are among the many organizations he supported and served.
In a 2014 interview, Winston reflected on his business career and his philanthropy.
An investor and real estate professional, he talked about his leadership of the LPMC investment company and Citadel Life & Health Insurance Co.
Winston was well known for creating the Barnett Winston Co. after his time with The Charter Co.
He considered The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, one of his most memorable projects. He recalled starting on that in 1983.
“Most people said there’s no way, and I would just grin and say, ‘You watch.’ We did make it happen,” he said.
Winston chaired JAX Chamber, previously called the Jacksonville area Chamber of Commerce, in 1983.
He helped to lead efforts to brand Northeast Florida as Florida’s First Coast.
“We set about trying to find a name that would identify the region,” he said. “We went to each one of the chambers and said, ‘Would you like to become a part of our region?’ All of us said yes.”
Winston said he had two avenues of work.
“One of them is financial, because you have to have money to be able to function,” he said.
“Then there are those that I call psychic income. It’s when you do something with no expected reward and it becomes a part of you and nobody can take it away. I really think it’s one of the greatest gifts God gave us, to give back.”
The obituary published by Dignity Memorial shows that Winston is survived by his wife and his daughter Mary “Kimmie” Winston and son James “Jimbo” Winston Jr.; four grandchildren; and a brother and a sister.
Winston ended his 2014 interview by sharing his thoughts about Jacksonville.
“I just thoroughly enjoyed being in this city and feeling like we had a place and did some things. I just think it’s a neat place to be,” he said