James Perry Vitt

James Perry Vitt, age 61, of Gordon, Georgia, passed away on Sunday, May 3, 2020, at the Coliseum Medical Center in Macon from septic infection following surgery. Jim, or Big Jim as he was known by many, was born on August 5, 1958, in Chico, California, to Ronald George Vitt and Roslyn Mae Brumbelow (nee Strickland). The oldest of three children, Jim was the only son to Ron and Roz, and big brother to adoring younger sisters, Sherrie and Donna. Jim spent much of his youth living with his father on the West Coast after his parents separated, and resided on Oahu, Hawaii, for a year during high school. In every place he lived, he made lifelong friends—many of whom he still spoke to on the phone for hours, even in the weeks leading up to his death. Standing at 6’3” with an athletic build, Big Jim loved nothing more than the comradery of playing sports. He was an offensive lineman on his high school football team, as well as a varsity wrestler. He continued to play football and wrestle into his 20s, and even took up boxing. As a boxer, he had the honor of fighting Ken Shamrock, who later became a UFC Hall of Fame Member. Following injuries, Jim eventually left the field and the ring, but they never left his heart. Jim met Stephanie Rackley in the early 1980s while working at Little Norway, a small resort near Echo Lake in the Sierra Nevada. Jim and Stephanie married in 1985 and had two daughters, Rebecca and Angela. They lived in the Vina Plains just north of Chico, California. During the next few years, he worked several jobs—a security guard at the Jolly Fox, flipping boards at Sierra Pacific, and selling pacemakers with his father, which took him all over the country. The pacemaker business eventually brought Jim and his young family to Woodstock, Georgia, in the early 1990s. Shortly after, he began working at Industrial Steel and Machinery in Gordon. Jim was a founding leader at ISM, Inc., and his expertise and leadership grew the business locally, regionally, and nationally during his two-decade tenure. In the years he spent conducting business for ISM, he left lasting impressions on the many people he met, and his big personality and bigger smile made him a staple in the central Georgia community. One of the things Jim looked forward to most every year was donning his Santa gear and bringing joy to the faces of children and adults alike in various events around middle Georgia, including the Gordon Christmas parade, company parties, and appearing in commercials and in the showroom at Childre Chevrolet Buick GMC in Milledgeville. Jim was a resident of Gordon, Georgia, at the time of his passing. He is preceded in death by his father, Ronald George Vitt, and step-father, Elmer Daniel Brumbelow. He is survived by his mother, Roslyn Brumbelow; spouse, Stephanie Vitt; daughters, Rebecca Coates (Travis) and Angela Yarbrough (Ben); sisters, Sherrie Vitt Avery and Donna Vitt Collins; step-siblings, Steve Brumbelow (Marlene) and Paula Frasier (Chan McDonald); brothers-in-law, Mike Avery and Roy Burke; sisters-in-law, Janet Jorge and Julie Hunt; grandchildren, Kyle and Stephen Yarbrough, and Alana and Owen Coates; nieces and nephews, Michelle Bacchus (Andy), Michael Avery (Courtney), Jack Murray, Lily Murray, Jason Boyd (Hilary), Andrew Boyd, Joey Boyd (Sara), and Bryan Hunt; plus many beloved great-nieces and nephews, cousins, and kin. Family was Jim’s most valued possession, and he never missed an opportunity to meet and connect with every relative he could. Jim's family asks that in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite local charity that best reflects your personal relationship and memories of Jim. In light of public health concerns surrounding COVID-19, memorial services will be conducted at a later date.