James R. Harkins, 85
James (Jim, Jimmy, Pops, Papa), R. Harkins passed away on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, at his home in Martin City, with his best friend and wife of 52 years, Midge, and family at his side.
Jim was born on Aug. 8, 1943, to Harold and Margaret Harmon Harkins in Tacoma, Washington. He was the second of four children, older brother Gary and younger brother and sister, Dan and Maureen. He grew up in Snohomish, and graduated from Snohomish High School in 1961. From there he went to Gonzaga University in Spokane to earn his education degree, working his way through school as an oiler on the inland freighters of Puget Sound during his summer months. Jim would later earn a master’s degree in counseling from Arizona State University.
It was in Spokane that he met his wife, Margaret (Midge) Foley, of Martin City. Jim and Midge were married in June of 1966, and Jim soon began his career in education, working as a teacher, and then counselor in Bellevue, Washington for six years before moving his family back to Snohomish to begin working with his father in the family store, Harmon’s, in 1972. Jim eventually took over the store until it closed in 1988. Jim then went on to become a real estate agent until he retired and moved with Midge to Montana in 2003.
Jim loved to spend time with his friends and family and will best be remembered as a great son, husband, father, grandfather and friend. Everyone who knew him respected him for his honesty and integrity, enjoyed his wonderful sense of humor, and loved him for his genuine compassion and friendship. Jim also loved to be outside, whether that be fishing in Puget Sound, hunting pheasants in Eastern Washington, or hunting in Montana for deer and grouse with his friends and family.
Jim is survived by his wife, his three children, and his eight grandchildren, Midge Harkins of Martin City, Jim’s wife of 52 years; son Mark Harkins, his wife Christy, and their sons, Colton, Kyler and Caden of Kalispell; daughter Mary Thompson, her husband Kirk, and their daughters, Emily, Anna and Ruthie, of Stuttgart, Germany; and son Mike Harkins, his wife Alyson, and their children Natalie and Sam of Snohomish.
Jim’s family would like to thank their wonderful friends, family, and the communities of the Flathead Valley, Paradise, Montana, and Snohomish for their amazing outpouring of kindness and support. They would also like to thank his doctors, nurse Renee Byrd, and all of his excellent caregivers at Home Options Hospice for the incredible care and comfort they showed Jim and his family. God bless you all.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 26, at Buffalo Hill Funeral home in Kalispell, with a reception following at Midge and Jim’s residence in Martin City. An additional celebration of Jim’s life and interment of his remains at GAR cemetery will be held in Snohomish in the summer of 2019.
Friends are encouraged to visit our website at www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolences for the family. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory caring for the family.