James Edward Born

1936 - 2020

James Edward Born (age 83) died on April 26, 2020 at his home in Williamsburg, VA, after a short illness. Known as Jim to his friends and family, but Jimmy to his brother and two sisters, James was born September 21, 1936 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the eldest child of Wilton Edward Born and Imelda Guthrie Born. He attended Maryknoll College, a Catholic Seminary in Glen Ellyn, IL, earning a B.A. in Philosophy in 1959. He left before ordination and returned to Memphis where he taught Latin and History at Conception High School. In 1961, he heard about president John F. Kennedy's vision of forming a volunteer Peace Corps. Jim applied, and was accepted into one of the first groups of Peace Corps Volunteers. After completing his training at Georgetown University, he was assigned a two-year service position, teaching in Senafe, a village in Eritrea (formerly Ethiopia) from 1962-64. On his return trip from Africa, he toured Italy and the United Kingdom. Thus began his life-long love of travel and of all things British. Back in the United States, he settled in Washington, D.C. He showed great aptitude and interest in the early field of computing and was accepted for training and work as a Programmer at the Department of the Army in 1965, and then at George Washington University from 1966-1969. In 1969, he joined the staff of the International Monetary Fund as a Programmer in the Bureau of Statistics. He remained an employee at the IMF for 29 years, until his retirement in 1998. He met his wife, Christine, in Washington D.C., in 1966. Christine was in Washington D.C. for a two-year appointment, and when the time came for her to return to her home in England, they decided to get married. Eventually they settled in Springfield, Virginia and spent many happy years with their three children, Rebecca, Adrian and Allida. When his wife Christine joined the British Embassy Players, (Now know as The British Players) Jim enjoyed their plays, appeared in some, and even performed as a magician in a performance of their Old Time Music Hall at the British Embassy. The time in Springfield would not be complete without mentioning the time spent with Jim's best friend and colleague, Lindsay Wolfe, and his family. The two families spent many Christmases and holidays together, and Jim and Lindsay had countless Sunday afternoon visits, watching Redskins games while the wives drank tea. When Lindsay retired with his family to their home country of Australia, the friendship continued through phone, video calls and visits. Jim always considered them part of his family. Upon Jim's retirement in 1998, Jim and Christine spent three years living in England, where Jim was able to fulfill his dream of walking along the many footpaths in the countryside. Armed with Simon Jenkins' book England's Thousand Best Churches, they explored many, many of the churches in the English countryside, all the cathedrals in the United Kingdom, and a few in Europe. Returning to the US in 2001, they settled in Williamsburg, Virginia. Jim spent many happy years there, with his children and grandchildren visiting regularly. He was an avid bird watcher, and counted 83 different bird species visiting his garden in Williamsburg. He loved taking walks in Colonial Williamsburg. During these years, he and Christine also travelled extensively, visiting many countries in Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand. He loved Latin and was a self-described "Anglophile". He was an avid reader and loved to learn, continuing his studies in Latin, Economics, Mathematics and History. Jim is survived by his wife, Christine Born of Williamsburg, VA; his children, Rebecca Hope and husband Paco, Adrian Born and wife Cat, Allida Casper and husband Zach; his grandchildren Philip, Nicholas and Ray Hope, and Zoë and Aiden Casper; his sisters, Sister Christine Born, of the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia in Nashville, and Louise Rider, and brother Thomas Born; and nieces, Imelda King and Marie Smith. A memorial service in Williamsburg will be arranged at a future date. Donations may be sent to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in memory of James Edward Born. Donations to Colonial Williamsburg, CW Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187. Or in the UK, to the Churches Conservation Trust. Jim loved the simple things in life. His family was the most important thing to him. His presence is already dearly missed. We are heartbroken at his loss. We will always be honored to have known and been loved by such a great and humble man. Bucktrout of Williamsburg Funeral Home assisting.