January 20,1945 – October 15, 2025

Teacher, Sailor, Father, ‘Papa’

Jim was born in Seattle, grew up on Queen Anne Hill and spent Summers at the family cabin on Bainbridge Island. He served as an acolyte at St Paul’s Seattle in his youth.  Jim graduated from Lakeside School in 1962. He graduated from UPS in 1968 and married Carolyn (nee Hash) that same year. He was a life-long Sigma Nu.

Jim married Marcie (nee Little) in 1988 and became a stepfather to Gavin Irby and father to Jesse in 1989.  Jim and Marcie celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary just months before her death in 2013. He became a grandfather in 2015 with the birth of Jesse’s son Leo. 

Jim was an active and devoted father.  He was a proud supporter of Jesse’s love of baseball and music into adulthood. 

More recently he shone as a grandfather. He had special mornings with Leo (now 10) who loved visiting at “Papa’s House,” where he could get up as early as he wanted and was allowed to watch TV as Jim prepared breakfast.  Maya (now 2) joined this special ritual in the past year.

Jim taught in the Tacoma School District for 30 years; serving at Oakland Elementary and later at Lowell Elementary for many years. Though at one time he studied to become a principle, his strongest passions were in the classroom where he remained for his entire school career.  Jim’s 4th grade classroom at Lowell had an expansive view of Commencement Bay. His students learned about the importance of shipping in Tacoma’s past and present.  After retirement he did a variety of jobs in construction and as a courier.  

Jim’s other passion was sailing. He enjoyed exploring Puget Sound and points North, often meeting up with other sailing friends.  In later years, racing became his pastime. He participated in the Swiftsure Race in British Columbia for many years. A highlight of his boating adventures was crewing on a race from Victoria BC to Maui, Hawaii in 1982.  Most recently he raced his Catalina Capri 25 “Syzygy” in the Corinthian Yacht Club’s “Windseeker” races in Commencement Bay.

Jim was an active member of Christ Church Tacoma serving on the vestry, as Junior Warden and volunteering on several Habitat for Humanity builds, and the church’s Paint Panama project.  His loss of hearing made it frustrating to attend services in the last few years, but he nonetheless considered the parishioners and clergy of Christ Church to be one of his strongest sources of support, especially after the death of his wife Marcie.

Jim died of cancer October 15, 2025.

Funeral service will be held January 20, 2026, at 1:00pm at Christ Episcopal Church 310 N K street in Tacoma. The service will also be livestreamed via the church’s website christchurchtacoma.org. Please note that parking near the church is extremely limited. Those planning to attend in person are encouraged to carpool, rideshare and where possible use public transit.

Donations can be made to Christ Episcopal Church (see above).