Retired Army Master Sgt. James Virkler "Jim" Ralston, 79, of Fayetteville, died Sunday, March 23, 2008, in Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Mr. Ralston was born April 3, 1928, to the late Horace V. and Blanche V. Ralston in Mattoon, Ill. He was a longtime member of Village Baptist Church. He retired from the U.S. Army and was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. Jim was a master parachutist, a Ranger and an infantryman. He received the Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and numerous other service medals. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service. He was a member of the American Legion. The funeral will be held at Village Baptist Church on McPherson Church Road at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 27, 2008, with the Revs. Nick Smith and Eastland Gray officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Cumberland Memorial Gardens. Jim is survived by his wife of 54 years, Betty Grimes Ralston; his daughter, Mavis J. Pritchett and husband Gary E. Pritchett of Hope Mills; a granddaughter, Erin P. Adams and husband Larry Adams of Fort Bragg; a great-granddaughter, Grace Adams of Fort Bragg; a grandson, Robert James Ralston and daughter-in-law, Doris L. Ralston of Colorado Springs, Colo.; and his sisters, Norma Lee Strouse of Charleston, Ill., Sarah Benham and husband Jack Benham of Montrose, Colo., Nancy Rendleman of Mattoon, and Carol Davis and husband Frank Davis of Terre Haute, Ind. He was preceded in death by his son, Grant B. Ralston; his parents; three half sisters, Jane Newlin, Dorothy Demmerit and Mary Roberts; and a half brother, Horace V. Ralston Jr. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service, from 2 to 3 p.m., in the Fireside Room at Village Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Village Baptist Church Building Fund, 906 S. McPherson Church Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303; or to the American Cancer Society, 11 S. Boylan Ave., Raleigh, NC 27603. Services entrusted to Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home of Fayetteville.