James Theodore "Jim" Bland Jr.

James "Jim" Theodore Bland, Jr. died on Thursday, November 27, 2025, shortly after 3:00 p.m. in Destin, Florida. He was born on June 16, 1950, to James Theodore Bland, Sr. and Martha Francis Downen Bland in Memphis, Tennessee. He was predeceased by his parents, James and Martha, and by his sister, Martha Ann Bland Ishee. Jim is survived by Pattie, his wife of 51 years; his daughter, Natalie M. Bland, of Memphis; his nieces, Elizabeth Cash (Justin) of Lakeland and Susan Green (Mark) of Collierville; five grand nieces and nephews, Emily and A.J. Cash, and Jack, Jacob, and Blake Green; and his cousins, Robert E. Owens, III and Jeriann Bechard; and Jerry Downen, III, Marianne Downen Simmons, and Russ Downen.

Jim graduated from White Station High School in 1968 before attending the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1968 and1969. He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Epsilon Kappa Chapter, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accountancy in 1972. Jim was a member of Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity and made law review at the University of Memphis, and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1974. That same year, Jim also married his wife, Pattie, in Germantown, TN. He was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1975 and passed the CPA examination in 1976. He taught night classes at State Technical Institute at Memphis from 1976 until 1977. Jim began his career working at the Internal Revenue Service as an Estate and Gift Tax Attorney before joining the law firm of Armstrong, Allen, Prewitt, Gentry, Johnston, and Holmes; he then opened his own private practice as a licensed attorney. While Jim was in private practice as an Estate and Gift Tax Attorney, he sat as a Special Judge. Jim also officiated at the marriage of his cousin, Jeriann.

His commitment to excellence in his career may be clearly seen in his activities in the community; Jim was president of the Federal Bar Association's Memphis Mid-South Chapter from 1979 to 1980; he was a charter fellow of the Memphis Bar Foundation and former president of the same; president of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Conference, 1984 to 1985; a member of the Board of Directors of the Thomas W. Briggs Foundation, 1986 through 2003; fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, 1987; and elected as the youngest national president of the Federal Bar Association, from 1987 until 1988. As President of the Federal Bar Association, Jim testified at the request of President Ronald Reagan in the 1987 Judiciary Committee Review of Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. Jim was on the Board of Governors of the Tennessee Bar Association, 1990 and 1991; and lastly, president and Charter Fellow of the Memphis and Shelby County Bar Foundation, 1991 until 1993.

Beyond his legal career, Jim was an engaged member of the community, acting as a chairperson on the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee at Wesleyan Hills United Methodist Church in Memphis, TN.

After retiring in 2003 and making the move to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands with his wife, Pattie, and daughter, Natalie, in 2004, Jim quickly got involved through his work as a volunteer at the St. George Village Botanical Gardens in 2004 before becoming treasurer of its Board of Governors; and as a lieutenant of Krewe de Croix in 2004, which organizes the island's annual Mardi Gras Parade. Jim was the King of Mardi Gras in 2008. He served as an alternate delegate of the Virgin Islands Delegation to the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN, when Senator John McCain was selected as the Republican candidate. Jim and Pattie returned to Memphis in 2015, before moving to Sandestin in Miramar Beach, FL in 2017. They moved to Regatta Bay in Destin, FL in 2019, where Pattie still resides.

Although noted throughout his life for his intelligence and drive, Jim also loved to have a good time with friends and family. He was an avid golfer and sports fan, especially of the Chicago Cubs and the University of Memphis Tigers. Jim also shared a love of travel with his wife, Pattie, and was devoted to his many canine companions.

Jim enjoyed a full life, and left a lasting impact on those who knew him.

Memorial plans are to be determined.

Memorials may be made by making donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN or to Wesleyan Hills United Methodist Church, 390 S. Yates Road, Memphis, TN 38120.