James Chandler Paton

James Chandler Paton was born October 5, 1936, in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, to Russell and Linda (Chandler) Paton. Jim grew up in nearby Fort Washington, Pennsylvania and attended Earlham College in Indiana, where his passion for global affairs and social justice began. He studied abroad in France and became fluent in French. After returning to Earlham, he met Rev. James Robinson, founder of Operation Crossroads Africa. Recognizing Jim’s interest in international work and his language skills, Rev. Robinson encouraged him to apply for a volunteer role. The following summer, Jim traveled to Cameroon, where he helped in building a school.

After meeting Marjorie Pickett, Jim graduated from Earlham in 1958, and on January 31, 1959, Jim and Marjorie married at Lynn Friends Meeting in Lynn, Indiana. They had two sons, Scott, born on March 12, 1960, in Martinsville, Indiana and Richard, born September 5, 1962, in Philadelphia. Jim returned to Africa with his family, accepting a position with Church World Service in the newly independent Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), administering a Food for Peace development program. The family moved to Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) in 1962, launching more than a decade of international work that took them from Congo to Algeria (1965-68), India (1968-71), and Greece (1971-73). Their third son Robert was born on August 29, 1968.

The Patons returned to the U.S. in the early 1970s, living first in Logan, Utah, attending Logan Friends Meeting. However, Jim’s commitment to humanitarian work soon led him back overseas. Throughout the 1980’s, he worked with several international organizations, including AMREF (the East African Flying Doctor Service) and UNICEF, in South Sudan, Somalia, and Uganda, bringing aid and health services to some of the world’s most vulnerable people. 

During the 1980s, following his divorce from Marjorie, Jim came out as gay — a decision he embraced with courage and pride. He spent the last decades of his life based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he built a life rooted in family, community, and advocacy. He volunteered for several years at the Pacific Center for Human Growth in Berkeley, supporting LGBTQ+ persons.

Jim started collecting stamps as a boy, amassing a large collection, a substantial portion of which had been gathered during his global travels. In his later years he ran a small online stamp business. He also enjoyed classical music, reading, chess and bridge.

Jim left his legacy of a global life of service and curiosity with his extended family and those around him.  His sons have worked and lived internationally and Jim’s grandchildren also have lived and traveled in many countries and are all fully multicultural.

Several of his family gathered earlier this year to honor and celebrate Jim’s life. As they’ve done periodically over the years, his sons and several of his grandchildren visited Berkeley Friends meeting for worship, on January 26, 2025, At that visit, one of his grandsons spoke during introductions, saying that while Jim no longer attended Berkeley Meeting, he had expressed to his family how important it was to him – as his life as a Friend had been.

Jim was instrumental in helping the Deria family from Somalia resettle in the US and two Ethiopian refugees — Adem Omar and Ali Osman — emigrate to and secure citizenship in Canada and the United Kingdom, respectively.

Jim is survived by his ex-wife, Marjorie Xavier, of Sonoma County, California; his two sons, Scott and Richard; and five grandchildren: Malaya Ibabao, Fenua Ibabao, Kalina Luipaton, Tristan Paton, and Sophie Paton. His third son, River — born Robert — followed him in death by just a few days, dying after a long illness. Jim considered both Adem Omar and Ali Osman his adopted sons.

Jim’s longtime dear friend Clinton Nix, of Santa Rosa, California, was his tireless caring helper during Jim’s last years.

A memorial meeting was held for Jim on May 18, 2025, at Gwynedd Friends Meeting in Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. Jim’s ashes were interred in the Gwynedd Friends Meeting cemetery, alongside those of his parents.