James William (Bill) Blevins

It is with sad but grateful hearts that we announce the passing of James William (Bill) Blevins of Nashville, TN on February 20th, 2025. He was deeply loved and will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and all those whose lives he changed for the better. 

A lifelong Nashvillian, Bill was born on November 25th,1940 to Pat and Jim Blevins. He attended Montgomery Bell Academy and then earned his B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and the editor of the Tennessee Volunteer Yearbook. It was there that he met and soon married his college sweetheart Melba Russell of Nashville. 

After working with his father in the wholesale division of Blevins Popcorn, Bill decided he wanted to be in business for himself. In 1971, he purchased a building supply business which he later renamed Blevins, Inc. At 30 years old, he devoted himself to growing the company and ultimately expanded from one location in Nashville to multiple locations in the Southeast and Midwest. In 1996, his oldest son, Brad, joined him in the business, and after 50+ years of growth, the company has expanded to twenty-five locations across the country and three manufacturing plants in Virginia. The company is still family owned and run by Brad.

In addition to the wholesale supply company, Bill and his father were involved in the self-storage business as well as real estate development. In the mid 1970’s, they acquired many small houses on Bandywood Drive in Green Hills and developed the Bandywood Fashion Square. Together, in 1980, they transformed the old Blevins Popcorn facility on Charlotte Ave. into Abbott Self Storage. Other ventures in the self-storage business followed.

Bill had many passions, with his service in the church being foremost. He attended Westminster Presbyterian Church and later served as a deacon and elder at First Presbyterian. He formed a weekly Bible study which met for over 20 years. He was a firm believer in mentorship, philanthropy, and giving of his time and talents. Bill served with many organizations including Alive Hospice, Monroe Harding, Prison Ministry and the Faith Family Medical Center. In 1983, he served as President of the Downtown Nashville Rotary Club. Later, Bill also served as president of Friends of Warner Parks. In addition, he was an instrumental supporter of the entrepreneurial program at the UT School of Business. In 1986, with his friend Bud Francis, he founded the Business Leadership Council (BLC) as an educational and networking resource for business owners. More recently, he was instrumental in the revitalization of the Blevins Japanese Garden at Cheekwood. 

He was an avid outdoorsman, world traveler and music lover. No matter the conditions on the Appalachian Trail, it was a great day to be alive. He could often be seen on the trails of Radnor Lake or Warner Parks, but if you didn’t get up at the crack of dawn, you would miss him. Always an early bird, he set his alarm religiously for 5:00 am to set out for his morning run or hike to calm his busy mind before a long day at work. For many years he and Melba enjoyed working and entertaining on his farm near Leiper’s Fork. Some of his happiest times were spent doing projects there with his son Clay. He enjoyed skiing with his family and friends in Beaver Creek, Colorado and playing golf at Belle Meade Country Club. One of his proudest moments was summiting Mt. Kilmanjaro with his daughter, Jill, a teacher in Tanzania at the time.

Always fun-loving, Bill was known for his pranks, sense of humor and curiosity. He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting new friends and hearing about their lives. His outlook on life, love of service, and dedication to family and community shaped all of our lives in so many ways. 

He is survived by his tireless and devoted wife of 60 years, Melba, and was an amazing father of three children, Brad (Kim), Jill Blevins Keogh (Brendan) and Clay Blevins. He adored his seven grandchildren Will, Baker, Briggs, Millie, Luca, Finn and Helena. He is predeceased by his parents Pat and Jim Blevins, and his sister Betty Blevins Jensen of Atlanta. His family will be forever grateful to the many caregivers who were by his side during his last years.

Bill’s memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church located at 4815 Franklin Pike on Wednesday, February 26th at 10:30 am with a reception to follow at Belle Meade Country Club from 12:00PM-2:00PM.

If you would like to make a donation in memory of Bill, please consider Faith Family Medical Center at www.faithmedical.org or First Presbyterian Church at.https://fpcnashville.org/

Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremations Services, 6949 Charlotte Pike, Suite 104, Nashville, TN 37209. (615) 857-9955.  We are proud to be locally owned and operated.