"THE GENTLE GIANT"

On May 28, 1970, a Thursday to be exact, James and Johnnye Gardner Girtmon were blessed with their fourth child.  To this child was given the name James Richard Girtmon, Jr.  On January 26, 2016, a Tuesday morning to be exact, James did, as so many before him, and stepped from mortality into immortality and joined  loved ones who had gone on before him.

James was raised in a loving family. He attended the schools of Morehouse Parish, graduating in 2003 from Bastrop High School.  However, he knew that high school was not enough and he enrolled in Robinson Business College and majored in Retail Management. At the time of his demise, he was employed as a jailer at the Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Department.

He was the proud father of two children: O'Cyrus Girtmon and Brooke Jackson.

In 2006, James moved to California to pursue his passion: writing. It was there he began his first novel. In 2010 that novel came to fruition as "Champulons"  Legions of Doom was  published. In it we are propelled into the future, into the robotic era, of two interstellar groups who were called DEMAR and Starrgons. When writers put pen to paper, they often use it as a way of expressing their feelings, their hopes, their vivid imaginations of what the world could possibly be. They let their imaginations run wild into worlds of beauty, intrigue, adventure; s lingering hope which can be expressed only through words. Every writer is unique, different in his own style.Writers must go through their own emotions to find the words they need to bring their characters to life. They have their own storehouse of thoughts and feelings, their special vision and foresight. And, this was James as he put pen to paper and brought "Champulons" to life.

James leaves to cherish his memories, his kind and gentle ways, and his genuine love for life and people: his parents, James and Johnnye Girtmon of Bastrop, LA, four brothers: Lashay Girtmon, Bastrop, LA, Paxton Girtmon, Jackson, MS, Chadrick Girtmon, Lake Charles, LA, and Alejandro Girtmon of Las Vegas, NV; one sister, Paisha Girtmon of Atlanta, GA, two children; O'Cyrus Girtmon of Texas and Brooke Jackson of Bastrop, LA, and a host of other relatives and friends. All writers have the same great wish: that their words should never go with them.but should be kept alive long after they have gone; in the hearts of those who cherished their words when on this earth. James' wish was that his life and legacy always be filled with love for his family.

William Wordsworth said it so beautifully in "Splendor in the Grass," “That though the radiance which was once so bright be now forever be taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower. We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.” James Richard Girtmon, Jr., "The Gentle Giant," lives on in and through those he loved and those who were loved by him.

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