James Clyde Paine was born June 11, 1947, at Oakland, Nebraska, to Morris C. and Anna B. (Sears) Paine. He passed away February 14, 2012, at his residence in Helena, Montana. Jim was raised in Lyons, Nebraska, and graduated from Lyons High School. He attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree. Jim practiced utility law his entire career, working for the State of Nebraska, the State of Montana, and the Stoel Rives law firm in Portland, Oregon. He was the Montana Consumer Counsel from 1981-1987. At the time of his death, he was a senior attorney for the Montana Public Service Commission.

Jim first fell in love with Montana as a young man when he worked summers on a ranch in the Boulder Valley where he learned all about “animal husbandry”. In 1977, he moved to Helena to work for the PSC.  After moving to Oregon and spending many years there, he made the choice to return to his beloved Montana. He was surrounded by the people he loved and those who loved him in this place that he called home.

Jim was not without his quirks.  He was an avid Nebraska Cornhusker football fan and was weird about it. He most often chose to watch the game alone. He was a connoisseur of music and was noted for his ability to create interesting tapes/CDs of great songs peppered with an occasional bizarre selection. He always kept us guessing, and he always kept us laughing--a witty man wearing a fez, listening to Cajun music, and flashing a blinding, dimpled grin while driving a vintage Cadillac down the highway of life. Those of us who were lucky enough to be recipients of Jim’s eclectic CDs will always have a part of him with us.  He was a man who had fun no matter where he was. He lived a joyful life and shared that joy with everyone who knew him.

 One of Jim’s greatest pleasures was being with people. He loved nearly everyone he met and was a great storyteller. If Jim knew you, you probably made an appearance in one of his stories.  If you were fortunate enough to be one of Jim’s friends, he never lost touch with you. His many friends often heard the voice message “James C. Paine, checking in.”  His address book still contained the names of girls he had dated in high school, and he left a long line of former girlfriends--some happy and some unhappy.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers (John Everett 1955 and Kenneth Andrew 2009). He is survived by his sister Mary Fran (Randy) Bacon of Lyons, Nebraska, sister-in-law Kay Paine of League City, Texas, four nieces, one nephew, four great nieces, and three great nephews. In addition, Jim left many devoted and heartbroken friends and relatives from coast to coast.

As a memorial to Jim, please make a donation to the charity of your choice or take a chance, play a hunch, and make a wager on a good horse race.

There are damn few really good people in this world.  We are so lucky to have known one of them.