John 'Jack' James, 81

John “Jack” James passed away Tuesday the 24th of April, 2017, due to heart failure at home with his beloved wife, Christine, at his side.

He was such a wonderful husband and father and grandfather. He will be truly missed by all who knew him and loved him.

Jack was born on April 1, 1936.

Jack loved the outdoors and was very active in California working for Fish and Game. He also belonged to a Jeep club. He did it all with compassion and respect.

Jack moved up here to Montana in the mid-’70s and made his home here in the Flathead Valley. He loved to fish; he would hike up the mountains and fish from wherever he found a place. Jack went to work for Glacier Park in 1981 and retired in 2002. He was an electrician who installed, maintained and repaired electric devices on towers and everywhere through the mountains. He hiked and snow-shoed, and road horses and flew in helicopters to get him to places that nothing else could. When he retired he loved taking care of his home and loved to be outside building sheds, and was very determined to keep his three yards mowed and watered, and stood his ground during the bad fire in 2003 — the largest fire in Glacier Park. They had an evacuation but he wasn’t going to leave. He used every possible hose to keep everything wet. He loved his home.

He is survived by his wife Christine, married in 2008; and has three stepchildren, Briggs of Columbia Falls with five children, Monica of Kalispell with her three sons, and Rebekah of Missoula with her three daughters. He is also survived by a grandson Eddie, his wife Angelina and their four sons. He also has a cousin in Sacramento, California, whom Jack was very close to.

Annice and Jack kept in touch through email. They always said they were sister and brother. Jack was an only child and his only son Raymond passed away in 2005. His parents are buried in Grass Valley, California.

Jack was truly a wonderful person he was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and he will be missed and loved throughout the years to come.

His services will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, at the Active Word Ministries, 172 Pine St. off of Highway 2 in Columbia Falls. Please come and share his memories.