Mr. James Arthur Bunce Jr.

Mr. James Arthur Bunce Jr., 89, a native of Bulloch County, died at his residence in Atlanta on Sunday, November 9, 2008. He was the oldest son of James Arthur Bunce Sr. and Jessie Newton Bunce.
He graduated from Statesboro High School and Georgia Teachers College. He served his country during World War II as a member of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, the 44th bomber division. He was the captain and pilot of a B-24 Liberator, flying 25 missions in 1943 and 1944. For this service, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters. For a year after that, he was in the Air Transport Command, flying from England to Stockholm. He flew the plane that brought the first secretary general of the United Nations from Sweden to England with the Norwegian exile government. He was a weather forecaster in Northern Germany during the Berlin Airlift. After the war, he received a Master's degree in Meteorology from the California Institute of Technology and retired as a lieutenant colonel with 22 years of military service. He served in several parts of the world including California, Hawaii, England, Greenland, Germany and Missouri.
After retiring from the military, he passed the CPA exam and worked as an accountant in Atlanta until a few years ago. He was a good businessman and acquired land in Bulloch, Bryan and the Emanuel counties. At the time of his death, he owned the home of his grandfather, James Allen Bunce, built for his wife in 1884. He loved Bulloch County and enjoyed coming back as often as he could.
Preceding him in death were his parents and sister, Lucy Bunce Long of Richmond Hill, Ga.; and sister-in-law, Mary Rogers Bunce. He is survived by his brother, Paul Cone Bunce of Winterville, Ga.; his brother and sister-in-law, Isaac Newton Bunce and Nona Quinn Bunce of Statesboro; his nephew, Paul Cone Bunce Jr., and his wife, Antoinette; his nephew, Augustine Arthur Bunce; his nieces, Dr. Frances Bunce Dielmann and Caroline Sophia Bunce; great-niece, Dr. Antonia Rebecca Bunce, and her husband, Dr. Nathan Bowen; and his great-nephew, Christopher Paul Dielmann.
A visitation will be held Wednesday from 1:30-2 p.m. at the Middleground Primitive Baptist Church. James' grandparents, James Allen and Georgia McElveen Bunce, were the founding members of this church. His great uncle, Daniel McElveen, was its first pastor. Any other visitation may be done at the home of Isaac and Nona Bunce, 13945 Highway. 67, Statesboro, at the convenience of the visitor.
The graveside service will be held in Middleground Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery on Wednesday, November 12, 2008, at 2 p.m. with Elder Randy Waters officiating.
Please visit our online memorial at www.mem.com to sign the guestbook and share your thoughts and fond memories with our family.
Hodges-Moore Funeral Home is in charge of funeral arrangements.

Statesboro Herald, November 12, 2008
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