James F. Scearce

James F. Scearce, a retired Arbitrator and former Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, died Thursday, May 11, 2017. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 54 years, Jewel Scearce. He is survived by his three sons and daughters-in-law, Mike and Denise Upton of Milton, GA, Scott and Tazumi Scearce of San Jose, CA, and Bo and Lynn Scearce of Tallahassee; five grandchildren, Julie Upton, David Upton, Jr., Darin Upton, Danielle Upton, and Callum Scearce; five great grandchildren Jeremy Upton, Asher Upton, Eleanor Upton, Madelynn Upton, and Memphis Upton, and his long-time companion Joan McQuaid. The memorial service will be at 10:00 a.m. EST Saturday, May 20 at Bevis Funeral Home and Crematory, 2710 N. Monroe Street, Tallahassee 32303 (850-385-2193) or www.bevishfh.com. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 19 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, 14 Pennsylvania Place, Suite 2110, New York, NY 10122. Jim was a native of High Point, NC and served in the U.S. Army’s 82nd All American Airborne Division. Following his military service, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during 1956 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. During his career, he held a number of positions including A Test Engineer for Phillips Petroleum’s Solid Propellant Development Project in McGregor, TX; Personnel Manager for Douglas Aircraft’s Missiles/Space Division at Cape Canaveral, FL; Director of Industrial Relations for NASA during the construction of the Merritt Island Space Launch Program (also at The Cape); Assistant Secretary of Labor in Washington D.C.; and the appointment by President Gerald Ford as the Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (also in Washington D.C.). After that, he and Jewel settled in Tallahassee during 1980 from which he worked for many years as a private arbitrator for many different organizations including being the sole arbitrator for the National Football League. He was also a member of the National Association of Arbitrators. He loved Tallahassee, and was active in Springtime Tallahassee. He was also a member of the Tallahassee Northside Kiwanis Club, the American Legion, the Town Club of Tallahassee, and the Economic Club of Florida. Jim was also a long-time athletic booster for Florida State University where he received a Master’s Degree in Business Management during 1968. He leaves behind a loving family and numerous friends who will miss him dearly. He suffered a serious stroke on December 27th while visiting friends in Deland, FL. This was followed by another stroke, as well as debilitating seizures. Throughout his four-month fight to return to a normal life, he never gave up or lost his sense of humor (often self-deprecating). From his childhood days to his final battle, his was a life well-lived. Susie Mozolic of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements.

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James F. Scearce

October 11, 1932 - May 11, 2017