Jim Rudolph
Founder and President
Veterans Funeral Care
In 2000 Jim Rudolph founded Veterans Funeral Care, the nation’s first funeral home designed and built for the veteran and military community. “I believe it is important for our staff to know and understand military culture and how to “speak veteran”. Every person on our staff is either a veteran or a close family member of one. Everyone goes through intensive training to understand rank structure, veteran burial benefits and how to read and decode DD-214 forms to better communicate with our military families.” In 2020 Veterans Funeral Care celebrated its 20-year anniversary.
Raised in an army home the son of a paratrooper, Jim’s heart is deep rooted in red, white and blue. “My hobbies are collecting old historic US flags, hiking the great American West, and reading any book written by or about Navy SEALS.” He is a huge fan of the HBO miniseries, “Band of Brothers.” He built and maintains web sites for two of the stars of that series.
Jim is a member of the Sons of the American Legion, Post 7, Clearwater, an Associate Member of the Marine Corps League, Det #54, Largo, a board member of the Tampa Bay Veterans Alliance, and a board member of the Dept. of Veteran Affairs Advisory Committee on Cemeteries and Memorials.
When not working, Jim is an avid backcountry hiker. Favorite hikes are the Bright Angel Trail at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Longs Peak, Estes Park, Colorado and the Lost Dutchman trail in Apache Junction, Arizona.
Jim was born in Indiana but grew up in St. Petersburg, graduating from Dixie Hollins High in 1976. In 1979 he graduated with honors from Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service in Decatur, Georgia. He met his wife Kim at First Assembly of God shortly after high school graduation in 1976, and they were married on Labor Day, 1979. They attend Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater. They have two grown sons, Jimmy, (Jordan) their first granddaughter, Jane a grandson Sam, and a son, Joel (Abigail.)
