James Jasper Bledsoe

Published November 27,2019

Obituary's Biography:

James Jasper Bledsoe, age 89, a resident of Grayslake, passed away Tuesday, November 26, 2019, at Libertyville Manor in Libertyville. He was born March 14, 1930 in Chicago to William J. and Anna L. (nee Beyer) Bledsoe. James was an avid Cubs and Bears fan. He owned his own music store, Bledsoe’s Waukegan Music Mart for over 20 years. He also had his own band, “The Executives”, and was a member of the Lake County Federation of Musicians for many years. He retired from H. A. Friend Company after 15 years of service. James is survived by his wife of 69 years, JoAnn, whom he married on September 16, 1950 in Ingleside; his children, Kate Rafferty (Ron Mills) of Florida, Timothy (Heather) of Gurnee, Steven (Leslie) of Texas and Lynn (Don) Rathunde of Tennessee; grandchildren, Jacob (Karen) Grandchamp of California, Lauren (Jacob) Dahlquist of Lake Villa, Andrea (Vince) Bellante of Wisconsin, Daniel of Texas, Allison (Matt) Post of Texas, Julie (Jeff) Briggs of Texas, Rebecca Rand of Grayslake, Jon (Amanda) Rathunde of Tennessee, Zackary Rathunde of Tennessee, Holly Rathunde of Batavia and Owen Rathunde of Tennessee; 17 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Bill. A family celebration of life will be held at a future date. All arrangements were entrusted to Strang Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 410 East Belvidere Road, Grayslake, IL 60030. For information, please call 847-223-8122 or visit www.strangfuneral.org.