James Bradley Sellers

Mr. James Bradley "J.B." Sellers was born in Baskin, Louisiana on June 27, 1921. He passed away on December 30, 2010 at Good Shepherd's Forsythe Hospice House in Auburndale. He was 89. A World War II Veteran, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard immediately after graduating high school. He served his country as a border guard and aboard the USS General George M. Randall. During his WWII service aboard the USS Randall, he traveled through the Panama Canal with ports including Pearl Harbor and Marseille, France, where the USS Randall embarked troops heading for the Pacific Theatre. Additional ports included Japan and Okinawa. After the end of the war, he asked to extend his service to help process the discharge of soldiers. He moved to Bartow after his discharge from service to work at the Bartow Bargain House, a business owned by his uncle Will Sellers. There he met and in 1947 married his wife of 58 years, Alma Smith Sellers. He graduated from Florida Southern College with a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering and was the first in his family to become a college graduate. He then went to work at Swift & Company (later Estech, Inc.), where he worked for 38 years in time management and efficiency. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Bartow, where he served as a Sunday School Superintendent and as a member of the choir. Prior to that, he was a member of Wildwood Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon, a Sunday School Teacher, a choir member and director. In all, he served as a Sunday School Teacher for over 50 years. He was a member of the V.F.W., where he served in almost all positions, including Quatermaster for many years. Additionally, he was also a member of the American Legion. Mr. Sellers was preceded in death by his wife Alma Smith Sellers, his brothers Alvin Sellers and Huey Sellers, and his sister Gloria Murray. He is survived by his daughter Cindy Sellers Ransbottom of Bartow, his grandson Jim Ransbottom of Bartow, his sister Caroline Dupont of Rayville, LA, two sister-in-laws Lou Smith of Winter Haven, and Norma Sellers of Albany, GA, and many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held at Whidden-McLean Funeral Home in Bartow on Tuesday, January 4th from 10am to 11am. Funeral services will follow at 11:00am. Interment will follow at Wildwood Cemetery in Bartow. Memorial contributions may be made to Good Shepherd Hospice, 105 Arneson Ave., Auburndale, FL 33823, First Baptist Church of Bartow, 410 East Church Street, Bartow, FL 33830, or Trinity Learning Center, P.O. Box 197, Bartow, FL 33831.