James Redding

James Claiborne Redding, Sr. age 84, of North Fort Myers, FL, was born Feb. 4, 1933 in Nashville, TN, and went home to be with the Lord on Nov. 2, 2017. He was the son of Herman and Fannie Redding.
He is survived by his wife, Geraldine (Geri) Doolittle Redding, by two sons, John (Pamela) of Franklin, TN and by Jeffrey (Karen) of Bon Aqua, TN, by two daughters , Janice (David) Harrison of Brighton, TN and Juliet (Kirk) Parker of Hoover, AL, by 11 grandchildren, two great grandsons, and by other relatives and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Marilyn Moore Redding and by their son James (Clay) Jr.
At the age of 9, James became a follower of Jesus Christ while attending Union Hill Baptist Church with his family. He was later called to be a minister and then ordained there as well.
He was a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in LA. James spent more than 60 years in Christian ministry. He was pastor of churches in Columbia, Riverview Baptist Church, Memphis, Lamar Heights Baptist Church, and Clarksville, Gracey Avenue Baptist Church, and in Texas and Mississippi. Twenty-six years were spent in mission work; four years as Director of Missions in DeSoto County, MS, fifteen years as a missionary to Peru, and seven years with the North American Mission Board and the Tennessee Baptist Convention in language missions and Interfaith Witness.
Visitation will be Saturday, Nov. 11 from 3pm until 8pm at Cole and Garrett Funeral Home in Goodlettsville, TN with the funeral service on Nov. 12 at 2pm at Union Hill Baptist Church in Goodlettsville, TN and he will be interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens nearby. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to either Union Hill Baptist Church or the International Mission Board of the SBC.