James “Jim” Melvin Pilgrim Jr., 87, of Columbia, died Feb. 12, 2016.

He served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II and the Korean conflict. He was a graduate of Mississippi College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor of several churches until 1965 when he was called as chaplain for the Department of Corrections. He moved to the Department of Youth Services in 1968, where he served as chaplain until his retirement in 1991.

Survivors include his wife, Gladys Geneva Pilgrim, four children, 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.