James Benjamin Weeks

James Benjamin Weeks passed away Friday, April 12, 2024. Ben was born in Rocky Mount, NC on November 10, 1944, the son of William G. Weeks, Jr and Susie May Batts Weeks. Ben retired from Huntington Ingalls as a Master Shipbuilder in combat systems engineering after 49 years with Newport News Shipbuilding. In his retirement he became a Master Gardner with the Va Cooperative Extension and developed an interest in bird watching. A fifteen minute errand would turn into an hour or more when Ben would take a detour to check on a rookery he had found of great blue herons and egrets on the York River. But, his greatest passion was sailboat racing. When he first moved to Hampton Roads in 1966 he bought a boat, found someone to teach him the sport and excelled winning more races than not in the southern region of the Chesapeake Bay. And, he gave back to the sport. He helped with junior regattas, cofounded the Seaford Yacht Club, was co-captain for the York River Yacht Club racing series for two years and was a long time member of the Hampton Yacht Club. He especially enjoyed taking on new crew members and teaching them the art of sailboat racing. Ben is preceded in death by his parents and his brother William (Gordon) Weeks III. He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Michele A. Cochran, his sister-in-law Martha Jones Weeks and his nephews Kenneth Weeks (Michelle) and James Weeks. A celebration of life will occur at a later date. In memoriam, please consider donating to the Hospice House of Williamsburg and the American Cancer Society. “Rumble on Ben”. Arrangements by Amory Funeral Home, Grafton, Va.