James Alward Van Fleet, III

Mr. James Alward Van Fleet, III, age 75, of Lakeland, Florida, the grandson of General James and Helen (Moore) Van Fleet, passed away Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at Good Shepherd Hospice in Lakeland. Mr. Van Fleet was born January 14, 1949, in Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas to James Alward and Yvonne Cloud (Lewis) Van Fleet, Jr. He was a Polk County, Florida resident and part of the Van Fleet family with deep roots in the Auburndale area. He graduated high school in 1967 from Blackford High School in San Jose, California, where he played the trombone, varsity football and was an All American breaststroke swimmer. James attended college at University of California Davis and University of Utah where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1975, and he also did summer coursework at MIT. In 1964, James was given honorary citizenship in Seoul, Korea by the Mayor in honor of his father and grandfather. James was a life-long tinkerer, building lasers, solar panels, and his own sailboat, and he loved HAM radio. He was a member of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Winter Haven, Florida. He was preceded in death by his father – James Alward Van Fleet, Jr. who is still MIA from the Korean War, and mother – Yvonne Cloud (Lewis) Van Fleet Robison. James is survived by his daughter – Kristen Ann Van Fleet and husband Paul Wayne Bigbee of Palo Alto, California; 2 half-brothers – Keith Robison and David Robison; many cousins and extended family. The family will place his cremated remains near his great grandfather William Van Fleet in Auburndale Cemetery. A virtual memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, May 18th. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Project Recover (www.projectrecover.org), a citizen-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that searches the world for America's MIAs from all wars and conflicts, WWII and since.