Jacksonville, NC ~ Beloved husband and father Jimmy (Jim) Dewayne Bivens passed away on May 18, 2022 at Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, NC after a brief battle with an aggressive form of cancer. He was 78. Jim was born on July 9, 1943 in Marlow, Oklahoma, but grew up in Texas, which is the home of his favorite sports team, the Dallas Cowboys.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Joan Knight Bivens, whom he met in Southern California while on active duty with the Marines. Jim is a retired Gunnery Sergeant of the United States Marine Corps. He retired in 1982 after a distinguished 21-year career with the USMC, which included 3 tours of Vietnam. He then continued his career with an additional 30 years served in the US Federal Civil Service as a bulk fuel inventory specialist at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River. In 2007, Jim was honored in Washington DC as the American Petroleum Institute’s Marine Corps Fuel Civilian of the Year Award for career contributions to his profession, with some projects taking him as far away as Japan and Africa.

In addition to taking care of his family and serving his country, Jim’s hobbies included playing golf, watching golf on TV, reading golf magazines, hitting balls at the driving range, shopping for golf equipment, and teaching his grandkids how to play golf.

In addition to his wife, Jim is survived by his brother William Bivens (Houston, Texas), son Robert Bivens and wife Wendy (Raleigh, NC), daughter Caitlin Daley and husband Joseph (Syracuse, New York), and daughter Regina Walker (Reynolds Station, Kentucky). He is also survived by his grandchildren Abaigeal and Nolan Daley (Syracuse, New York).

Jim will be interred with military honors at Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, NC on Wednesday, May 25 at noon.