James Edward
Terhune, 98
LEWES - James Edward Terhune passed away on July 28, 2020 in Lewes, Delaware.
He is survived by his children, Hannah Terhune of Warwick, Maryland, and Edward Dorland Terhune of Basking Ridge, N.J.; as well as his sister, Marion Florence Terhune; and his brother, Kenneth Warren Terhune.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Muriel in 2014.
Born and raised in Hackensack, N.J., as a child James was known as 'Sunny Jim' because of his pleasant demeanor and generosity of spirit. As an adult, that quality continued on, and he was widely known as a "good guy" and a loyal, dependable friend. In World War II he signed up for the U.S. Army and served in the Signal Corps from June 1943 to February 1946, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. While assigned to Hawaii in the Pacific Theater of Operations, James transmitted the message announcing the surrender of the Japanese Emperor to the White House. He worked for the American Telegraph Company before the war and afterwards until his retirement in 1982. James was as Staff Supervisor there. James and Muriel lived in Wayne, N.J. and thereafter in Bernardsville, N.J. for many years, the Toms River, N.J., Crane's Mill in West Caldwell, N.J. and finally Fenwick, Del.
"He liked to fish, to read, he enjoyed vacations at the Jersey Shore and Florida and traveling the world with his beloved wife Muriel. He had strong opinions regarding politics, but he was not inflexible, and was respectful if the opinion of others differed from his. He had equally strong opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of actors/actresses from "Hollywood's Golden Age," and he was considered something of an authority when it came to the game of Contract Bridge.
He was a loving father and husband, a generous friend, a moral man in the best sense of the word, and he left a positive influence on all those who were lucky enough to have known him. He will be greatly missed, but his memory will endure, in the lives of his family, his friends, and all those who had a passing or extended acquaintance with him. We his children were lucky to be able to call him father, and to have had him in our lives for as long as we did.