James Marshall Shoemaker Jr.

1932 - 2018

James Marshall Shoemaker, Jr.

Greenville - James Marshall Shoemaker, Jr. died Saturday, July 14, 2018 at his home. He was 85. Mr. Shoemaker was a Greenville attorney with Wyche, P.A. for more than 50 years, a community leader who chaired numerous government and nonprofit boards and a U.S. Marine. He was a member of Christ Episcopal Church and the Men's Bible Class led by Tom France.

Surviving are his wife of 59 years, Mary Hunter "Polly" Shoemaker, of the home; three sons, James Marshall Shoemaker III of Atlanta, Georgia; Edward Sloan Shoemaker and his wife Elizabeth Evans Shoemaker, of Carbondale, Colorado; and Jonathan Evans Shoemaker and his wife Diane Grimm Shoemaker, of New York City; his former daughter-in-law, Amelie von Fluegge of Atlanta; and six grandchildren, Mary Caroline Shoemaker of Washington, DC and Peter Henning Shoemaker of Savannah, Georgia; Stella Elizabeth and Sadie Adair Sloan Shoemaker of Carbondale, Colorado; and Evan Thomas and Alexander James Shoemaker of New York City. He is also survived by a brother, Thomas Coe Shoemaker, of Norfolk, Virginia and a sister, Katya Shoemaker Spicuzza and her husband Col. William Spicuzza (ret.), of Crozet, Virginia.

Mr. Shoemaker was born on August 25, 1932 in La Jolla, California, the son of the late Rear Admiral James M. Shoemaker, Sr. and Frances Little Shoemaker. He lived with his parents and brother while his father was in Navy service before, during, and after World War II, including a stint in Paris, France, while his father was the U.S. Navy Air Attaché. As a nine-year-old boy, he survived the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. At that time, his father was a Captain and Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Station on Ford Island, in the center of the harbor, and the family lived less than a hundred yards from the USS Arizona.

Following the war, Mr. Shoemaker attended schools in Norfolk, Virginia, and graduated from the Norfolk Academy. He attended the University of Virginia on a Naval ROTC scholarship, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and played varsity lacrosse, graduating in 1955. He then served in the U.S. Marine Corps on active duty for three years. He continued his service in the Marine Corps Reserve, retiring as a Major in 1974. On January 3, 1959, Mr. Shoemaker married the former Mary Hunter Sloan of Greenville, and the couple made their home in Alexandria, Virginia, and Tokyo, Japan, while he worked for the U.S. State Department. He returned to the U.S. in 1962 to enter the University of Virginia Law School, from which he graduated in 1965, serving on the Virginia Law Review and winning the William Minor Lile Moot Court competition as a senior.

The Shoemakers moved to Greenville in 1965 when Mr. Shoemaker accepted an associate position with the Wyche law firm. He built a successful corporate law practice there, managing the first public stock offering in Greenville and serving as a trusted legal advisor and corporate director for Ryan's Restaurant Group, Span-America Medical Systems, The Palmetto Bank and several closely-held corporations.

His public service in Greenville included a term on the Greenville City Council (1971-73) and leadership roles with the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce (president, 1979), S.C. Chamber of Commerce (president, 1988), Urban League (president, 1983-84), Greenville Civil Service Commission (chairman, 1978), Greenville Water Commission (1999-2010; chairman 2005-2009) and University Center of Greenville (2000-2011). He was a director of numerous cultural organizations, including the Greenville Museum Association, and Greenville Symphony Association, and was appointed by the Greenville County Council to the Greenville County Museum Commission. Having worked from an office overlooking the Reedy River since joining Wyche, Mr. Shoemaker was very supportive of the development of Falls Park on the Reedy, a collaborative effort of city, private and nonprofit partners, including the Carolina Foothills Garden Club of which his wife Polly belonged.

Active in Republican politics, Mr. Shoemaker was involved with early efforts to energize the party in South Carolina, eventually helping it become the dominant party in Upstate and statewide politics. He was delighted to have met Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Mr. Shoemaker enjoyed team sports in high school and college and was a life-long enthusiast of outdoor pursuits such as skiing, sailing, scuba diving, whitewater canoeing, tennis and horseback riding. He was an active member of the Greenville County and Tryon Hounds for many years. His other interests included his Scottish heritage, leading to membership in the St. Andrews Society (of which he served as president 2000-2001), as well as military history and economics. He was a member of the Greenville Military History Club and the Piedmont Economics Club and was a member of the Poinsett Club and Cotillion Club.

The Memorial Service for Mr. Shoemaker will be held Thursday, July 19, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. at Christ Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Christ Church, 10 North Church Street, Greenville, SC 29601 or to the University of Virginia Law School Foundation, UVA School of Law, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, Va. 22903.

Condolences may be made to the family by visiting www.thomasmcafee.com.

Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, Downtown