Cleveland Shelton "Shelly" James

Cleveland Shelton "Shelly" James died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his loving family and his faithful dog at his home in Pittsview, Al.

Memorial services will be held Monday, February 23, 2026, at 2:30 P.M. at SouthPoint Church with Rev. Chris Toole officiating and Chapman Funeral Home directing.  The visitation will be held from 1:30 P.M. until 2:30 P.M., prior to the service at the church.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Diabetes Research Foundation.

Cleveland Shelton James was born in Manhattan, N.Y. October 17, 1939.  He was the first child of William Cleveland James and Virginia Pettigrew.

A certified public accountant, Mr. James earned a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from Clarkson University in 1961.  He subsequently obtained a Master of Business Administration from New York University in 1966.

With many years of experience in accounting Mr. James excelled as the owner of the C. Shelton James and Associates and as the chairman of the board for CSPi Inc. Over the years, he  served as the director and the chief executive officer of Technisource Inc. and Cyberguard Corp. He was president and the director of Fundamental Management Corp.  Mr. James worked in a variety of executive roles for Gould Inc., Gould Computer Systems Inc., Elcotel, Computer Usage Co., CIT Fin Corp. and Byrnes and Baker. 

Dedicated to those less fortunate, Mr. James has served as the chairman, the president and a founder of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Institute Foundation and as a trustee for Clarkson University.

In recognition of his professional achievements, Mr. James was honored among the 10 Most Wanted Managers in the U.S. for High Tech by Fortune Magazine in 1985.

He was presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, the Golden Knight Award from Clarkson University. He was featured in multiple editions of Who's Who in Finance and Business, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the South and Southwest. 

He was a proud member of Southpoint Church in Eufaula, Al. 

He was an eternal optimist,  a gentle, devoted, loving father ( donated a kidney to his daughter, Jackie) adored by his wife and family.  He was popular among his friends, trusted and admired. He was known as a master negotiator, able to find common ground with the most contrary adversaries.  He had the most agreeable personality and tipped no matter how bad the service.  He loved his gin and tonic at 5 p.m., riding his John Deere, gardening and playing countless rounds of golf.  His zest for life was immense and infectious, his glass was always full and always lemonade.  Mr. James was preceded in death by his son, David Shelton James.

Survivors include his wife of 30 years: Lynne James; his daughter: Jackie (Andrew) Warenius; his grandson: Zach Warenius; 2 sisters: Antonette Cleveland (Don Lee) and Virginia Olansen.

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