James William Dupree, Iv

James William Dupree, IV was born in Jacksonville, Florida on September 24, 1997. He was the first-born child of Michelle Probst Dupree and James William Dupree, III. They called him Will and lived in Atlantic Beach where they were soon joined by his younger brother, Miles. Will attended school at the Seaside Playgarden, Montesorri Tides, Atlantic Beach Elementary, Fletcher Middle and Fletcher High School. In middle school he chose to go by James but he was always Will to his family. James attended the University of North Florida where he studied art and met the love of his life, Megan Elliott, on the first day of their freshman year. 5 ½ years later, on April 26, 2022, after a 4 ½ year struggle with Leukemia, she, together with his family, held him as he died at home. They were engaged to be married and living in a house he had just purchased on St Patrick’s Day. Will always lived at the beach and loved the ocean. He and brother Miles swam competitively for Fletcher High School and were avid surfers. In their younger years they played soccer in the Beaches Soccer League and swam for Selva Marina Country Club. The family often vacationed in North Carolina and Utah and always made an annual pilgrimage to Goldhead Branch State Park. The brothers later enjoyed surf trips to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. While his cancer was in remission, he and Megan attended a UNF study program in Italy where he fell in love with fine art and its culture. He received transfusions in Italian hospitals to maintain his strength and they extended their travels to Germany, Paris and Amsterdam. He proposed to Megan under the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower where strangers gave them a celebratory bottle of champagne. Will was passionate about his art, primarily as a painter, but he also enjoyed his study of sculpture and print making. He loved to cook and eat exotic foods. He took up disc golf when his frequent biopsies kept him out of the ocean and was making putts from 25 feet while tethered to a constant drip of pain medication the day before he died. Most of all, Will loved his Megan, their dog and cat, his friends and his family. He was very close to his art professors at UNF and many of the nurses and doctors who cared for him at the Mayo Clinic. His kind and generous spirt will forever live in the hearts of those he touched with his joy, love, and light.

A celebration of his life will be held at Palms Presbyterian Church on Thursday, May 5 ^th at 11:00 am.

Donations in his name may be made to the UNF Department of Art and Design at give.unf.edu/ArtAndDesign

Or the Leukemia&Lymphoma Society at givenow.lls.org