James Michael Bledsoe

Friday, Jun. 09, 2023

James Michael Bledsoe

August 19, 1966 ~ May 27, 2023

James Michael Bledsoe, 56, passed away peacefully on May 27, 2023, at his Salt Lake City home after battling brain cancer. James was born August 19, 1966, in Walnut Creek, California, to Joan Mary Benson and James Ronald Bledsoe. After graduating from Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, he went to California State University, Chico. Upon graduation from Chico, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. 

James graduated from U.S. Army helicopter training and his first assignment was as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. James spent two years with the 2nd Infantry’s AH-64 Attack Helicopter Battalion near the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea from 1996-1998. Next, James was assigned to the Utah Army National Guard, where he transitioned to a full-time National Guard soldier in West Jordan. James met his former wife, and they had two sons, James and Mitchell. While the boys were very young, James accepted assignments at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, a combat assignment in Iran, and an appointment at the Pentagon before returning to Utah in 2007. James was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned as the battalion commander for the 1-211th Attack Helicopter Battalion (AH-64), UTARNG. In 2011 James was assigned to the state headquarters in Draper, where he served as director of aviation and safety. He retired in June 2015.

In September 2017, he married his love and trusted best friend, Laura. In August 2018, James was hired by FedEx as a Boeing 777 instructor. In 2020, James joined the National Transportation Safety Board as an investigator for aviation accidents.

James “Coach” Bledsoe lived his life with integrity and modeled his behavior for others. He was always respectful and treated others with dignity and respect. A fantastic father to his two sons, he loved raising them to be responsible and respectful young men. James was an active 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus.

James is survived by his loving wife, Laura; two stellar sons James and Mitchell; stepdaughter Kyle; his father, Ron Bledsoe; and stepmother, Pam Bledsoe. He was preceded in death by his brother, Brett Allen Bledsoe; and his mother, Joan Mary Roberts.

A celebration of life was conducted on June 6, 2023, at Starks Funeral Parlor, Salt Lake City. Interment and a graveside service will be conducted with full military honors at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, Dixon, California at a later date.