By Charles Morgan for CoinWeek …..
James Jerome “Jim” Ransom, Sr., President of the Central Virginia Coin Club, died October 6 after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 71 years old.
Jim, as he was known, was one of the club’s founding members, and had served as the organization’s president since it was established in 2010.
He was courteous, enthusiastic, and kind; a man of incomparable character, who had a deep, abiding love for his family and his community.
The Central Virginia Coin Club, which Jim helped grow to nearly 100 members, serves the tri-city area in and around Hopewell, Colonial Heights, and Petersburg.
My grandmother Ruth, herself a coin collector, lived in Petersburg, and I got my start in the hobby as a youngster growing up in Hopewell. It’s one reason I made time for the club, whether it was giving educational presentations or simply attending meetings and supporting fellow collectors.
The other reason I supported the small club was Jim Ransom.
Jim was the kind of guy that could make you feel important because fellowship with his family, his friends, and his community was important to him. Every time I walked into the meeting hall, Jim was there to greet me with a great big smile and thank me for coming.
In his younger days, he served as a pharmacy technician in the United States Air Force, spending four years in Tachikawa, Japan. After leaving active duty, he returned to the States and flourished as a pharmaceutical sales rep for Wyeth Labs and SmithKline. Later, he served as the head of pupil transportation for the Petersburg public school system–a position he held until his retirement in 2008.
Jim was a devoted family man. He and his wife Jeanette were married 46 years. They had two children. He often spoke fondly of his family, especially his six grandchildren, whom he took great delight in.
News of Jim’s death had spread within the Virginia numismatic community a day after his passing. The Richmond Coin Club, whose membership includes several CVCC members, spoke of Jim’s passing to the 60 or so attendees at their October meeting. A moment of silence was observed and RCC Past President Harvey Hinson led the gathering in prayer.
The Central Virginia Coin Club meets again on October 21, 2014. I plan to attend. I know I will bring a heavy heart.
