Born in 1938, Jim spent his first 10 years on northern Nebraska farms near the Niobrara River, followed by nine years in South Dakota. His education included home school and one-room country schools in Nebraska, a small town school at Lane, South Dakota (graduating class of seven), Wessington Springs Junior College (graduating class of 20), Roberts Wesleyan College (Rochester, New York--BA), and Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois--MA).

Jim was blessed with a loving, Christ-following family. He married Patricia in 1958. Her music ministry has blessed thousands. Daughter Elizabeth (Tim Hunt) has one daughter, Sarah (Steven Hopkins), whose four children are Samuel, Abigail, Hannah, and Caleb. Daughter Karla (Les Ely) has one daughter, Krista (Patrick Hastings). Her children are Kaien, Moses, and Mira. Karla's daughter Rachel will meet her twin sister Krista in heaven.

Serving in leadership roles in the Free Methodist Church was a priority for Jim. He and Pat helped plant a church in Waukegan, Illinois, beginning in 1963. He was Christian education director for the first 20 years.

A hands-on participant, Jim chaired six church building project committees, He wrote curriculum for Light and Life Press, served on the Light and Life magazine editorial board twice, and was a General Conference delegate six times, He had several committee roles for the Illinois-Wisconsin Conference.

Jim's career spanned 58 years in education. He taught high school English in Rochester, New York, for two years and in Waukegan, Illinois, 33 years including 22 years as department chair. After his first retirement, he served in teaching and administration at Morrison Academy in Taiwan for 10 years, including two years as superintendent. Next he served international Christian schools on

accreditation teams and on other short term assignments in Cambodia, the Philippines, Haiti, Ecuador, Bolivia, China (six weeks) Colombia (two months), Papua New Guinea (two months), and Hope Africa University in Burundi. After moving to Washington in 2007, he volunteered in Elizabeth's second grade classroom for eight years. In addition to the countries above, Jim and Pat traveled in Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Writing provided Jim with a variety of creative outlets. He wrote monthly newsletters for eight years as conference Sunday School promoter, three years for the curriculum director in Waukegan, and six years as chair of the Village Commons condo board in Stanwood, Washington.. He authored articles published in five magazines. He wrote two devotional books, Please Pass the Pickled Duck's Feet and Goat's Head with Dog Meat, using Asian travel anecdotes as a springboard for family meditation. His play, The Return of Screwtape, was produced at Wesley Church, and a novel, Missing Hope, was e-published on Amazon. Travelogues, poems, and fables occupied his later focus.

His memoirs, Blessings! 1938-2020 and Counting, contain 160 stories detailing polio, fires, farm and factory work, college life, career and travel adventures, and spiritual reflections. It is in the Warm Beach Senior Community library.

Jim enjoyed pies, puzzles, puns, pineapple on pizza, and poetry, but Parkinson's and politics--not so much. His life verse was I Chronicles 28:20. "Be strong and get to work. Don't be frightened by the size of the task for my God is with you; He will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly."

A celebration of Jim's life will be held at Warm Beach Senior Center on Sunday, February 26th at 2 p.m.

Hope Africa University
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