James Edwin Flynt Obituary

James Edwin Flynt August 19, 1953 to June 5, 2025

Husband of Pumpkin Farmer Dies

James Edwin Flynt, husband of pumpkin farmer Jerome Livengood, died on

June 5, 2025. Jim, the youngest child of Burke and Frances Flynt, was born on August 19, 1953. By the time that he was a teenager, Jim measured well over 6 feet and resolutely did not play basketball. But he could skip, forward and backwards ( as Jim would say, Try it sometime. You’ll automatically feel younger ). Not long after graduating from Guilford College, Jim met Reverend Jerome Livengood and thus began a truly great love story. Jim and Jerome were a devoted, committed and loving couple for more than 50 years, until Jerome’s death in September 2022. ( When law allowed, Jim and Jerome were married on November 29, 2014 at the Alpha Chapel in Bethania.) After a major stroke left Jerome partially paralyzed and nonverbal, Jim devoted himself tirelessly to Jerome’s care. Jim and Jerome’s historic log home on the “farmette” in Winston-Salem was an idyll for the dogs, cats, goats, chickens, geese and the ostentation of peafowl who lived there as well. Although the countryside was where Jim’s heart was, he and Jerome would frequently take trips to New York City, where they served as North Carolinian goodwill ambassadors and on occasion would dispense, from the back of their red pickup truck, Christmas trees and the aforementioned pumpkins. Jim was a self-proclaimed proud “mama’s boy” and Frances ( the former Emma Frances Barbee ) would sometimes accompany Jim and Jerome on their New York sojourns. Jim almost single-handedly dispelled the myth that New Yorkers are unwelcoming, always making friends while traveling throughout the city. Jim embraced the many and varied activities NY had to offer, from Liza at the Palace to a vigil for slain gay student Matthew Shepherd; visiting MOMA, lunch at Katz’s deli or dinner at a long ago favorite, the Paris Commune.

A proud member of the LGBTQ community, Jim had a fierce intelligence that absorbed knowledge from whatever sources were around him. He would often offer from a unique perspective on society, politics, culture and life in general. Known for his sharp wit, anyone who was on the receiving end of one of his rapier-like remarks knew he did not suffer fools. Yet his generosity knew no bounds: he was a big man with an even bigger heart. Warm and giving, to be hugged by Jim was to be embraced by all the goodwill his beloved South had to offer.

Much to Jerome’s irritation ( Jerome was a cook par excellence ), Jim’s sesame noodles became something of a legendary dish both in New York and North Carolina. Like Jim, the noodles are deceptively simple, but after the initial taste, pack a surprising pungent punch. A lover of musical theater and all things theatrical, Jim having departed this world, would surely leave us with: Where are the clowns? Quick, send in the clowns! ( Don’t bother they’re here. )

https://www.salemfh.com/obituaries/James-Edwin-Flynt?obId=42821363

https://www.salemfh.com/obituaries/James-Edwin-Flynt?obId=42821363