James "Jim" Allen Werndli

James "Jim" Allen Werndli, age 90, of Maryville, Tenn., passed away Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Asbury Place Health Care Center. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth "Beth" Gass Werndli; parents, Harry and Julia Mae Werndli; and brothers, Howard E. Werndli and Herman L. Werndli. Surviving are his daughters and sons-in-law, Barbara and Garry Kahn, of Maryville, and Carol and John Shoun, of Crozet, Va.; grandchildren Blade Caldwell, Betsy Caldwell Cronin (and husband, Paul), Abby Shoun Kaplan (and husband, Aaron), and Mark Shoun (and wife, Laura); and great-grandchildren Madeline and Callaway Cronin, Graham and Jay Kaplan, and Gavin, Logan, and Maren Shoun. He was born in Chattanooga and raised in Riceville, Tenn., graduating from McMinn County High School in Athens, Tenn., before serving in the U.S. Army Security Agency during the Korean War, for which he received the Ambassador for Peace Medal. After earning a B.S. in industrial management from San Diego State University, he worked for many years with the Arnold Palmer Golf Company, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tenn. He entered the field of optics in 1981 and moved to Kingsport, Tenn., in 1986 to manage a chain of optical supercenters in the Tri-Cities area before retiring in 1994. He moved to Maryville in 2000 to be near family. He was active in community service through Civitan International, serving as president of the Chattanooga Civitan Club and, later, governor of the organization's Appalachian District. During those tenures, he received the Honor Key, Civitan's highest leadership award, and his club received the Founder's Trophy, for most outstanding club internationally. He was a man of faith. In Maryville, he was a member of First United Methodist Church and the Garst Sunday school class, which he helped teach for many years. Private Interment services will be held at Sherwood Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation (www.diabetesaction.org).