James D. Winemiller

James D Winemiller was born July 22, 1944, in Sullivan Indiana to Doris Marie (Lone) and Floyd Maurice Winemiller. On Friday August 5^th, 2022, he passed from this earth following a brief but fierce battle with a rare form of leukemia to join his parents, his brother John H and nephew Jay in heaven. He is survived by Kay his high school sweetheart and wife of 59 years, daughter Nancy, son-in-law Mike, and grandson Alex. He also leaves behind sister-in-law Mary and nephew John, and many great- and great-great nieces and nephews.

James D to his family and Jim to his friends, he was above all else a brilliant self-made man who loved his family beyond compare. James developed his work ethic on the family farm and at the farm stand on ‘Old 41’ in Oaktown Indiana. After Oaktown High School, he went on to graduate from Vincennes University and then Indiana University. He completed an Associates, a BS in Accounting and an MBA in five years and was the first in his family to earn a college degree. He also developed, and passed to the next generation, a life-long love of IU basketball and football – it was rare to not see him in the stands cheering for the Hoosiers. He was present for 3 of the 5 banner wins (and 2 losses too).

After IU, he was recruited by Peat, Marwick & Mitchell to their Honolulu office. He and Kay loved the island, but soon returned home to be closer to family. It was then James gathered with several friends from IU as founding partners of Blue, Windley, Durkott, & Winemiller, which soon became Blue & Co., CPAs. James was managing partner of the firm for 15 years. During his career he was actively engaged in the Indiana CPA Society, serving as President and on the Board, and served with several international CPA organizations to promote ethics for the profession. James was also a faithful Rotarian and was a member in Carmel and later a charter member of the Castleton Club. He served as President, worked on the international conference committee, and was a Paul Harris Fellow several times over. You could often find him making up Rotary meetings across the country and the globe – he had 50 years perfect attendance.

After his retirement from Blue & Co., he and Kay traveled the world – several times over. He found great joy in travel. He was stopped in untold far-flung places by people commenting on his ever-present white IU ballcap. He avoided the cold weather by splitting his time between Indy, Naples, FL and travelling. James continued to do business consulting, was an avid investor, and served on the Vincennes University Foundation Finance Committee and as Investment Committee Chair for several years. He was a member of the Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church in Naples. Although he seemed to always be working, he somehow also always made time for service, family, and friends. He loved fiercely and made sure that those he loved knew it. He started the legacy of education for our family, and he was immensely proud of the degrees earned by Kay (Butler), Nancy (IU and Georgia), Mike (Utah) and Alex (Purdue). We are so grateful to have had the love and support of our remarkable husband, father, and grandfather.

Visitation will take place on Thursday, August 11th at Flanner Buchanan – Broad Ripple from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Funeral services will be held at the Maria Creek Chapel on the campus of Vincennes University on Friday August 12th at 2 PM with visitation 1 hour prior to the service.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in his memory to the Vincennes University Foundation or the IU Foundation.