Here are some remembrances that Jim shared with me about his childhood that may give a clue to how Jim became the kind and caring person he was. 

Starting when Jim was about 6 or 7 he would go to the store for the elderly and handicapped people in his neighborhood to pick up a few groceries, medicine  (or in one case, cigars).  The shopkeeper would always kid Jim, you're too young to smoke cigars.  Jim would make 5 or 10 cents per trip which he used to buy comic books or model car kits.  He also liked to go to the movies on Saturday afternoon, his favorite star being Gene Autry because he played the guitar and sang.  Jim also earned some money mowing lawns, raking leaves and shoveling snow from walks and driveways.

Jim was also very active in the YMCA  swim meets (he kept all the ribbons he won) and even earned his lifeguard certificate at a young age although I don't think he ever became a lifeguard.  But that training paid off when Jim saved a young child from drowning at the local pool.  He said he saw the child on the bottom of the pool and dived in and pulled him out of the water so CPR could be administered.

Every year Jim would sell the most YMCA cookies so he could go to the summer camp where he liked riding horses and water skiing.  This was an expensive camp and he couldn't have afforded it on his own. 

He liked art and history in school.  He was chosen to draw the Christmas mural at school and one of his paintings of a racecar won a spot in an exhibit of "Americana" that hung in the Taft Museum in Cincinnati, then went on tour in several countries.  He painted a lot of pictures when he was a teen, but he gave most of them away.  If someone liked something or needed something, he would give it to them if he could.  I remember this incident of a homeless man that we always saw at the Pavillion shopping mall in Los Angeles.  One day he was in tears because someone had stolen his bedding.  Jim said to him don't worry we'll be right back.  Then we went home and Jim found 2 army blankets and a pillow he had been saving and went back to the mall and gave the man the bedding.  The homeless man always  remembered Jim and at Christmas gave Jim a small gift.  It's the little kindnesses in life that count and Jim learned that life lesson early.

Jim's first route as a Pepsi sales and delivery guy was in rural northern Kentucky where he acquired new accounts and had top sales in the company often winning prizes like a popcorn machine or an ice cream maker.  In fact, Jim built up his route to where they had to split it into two routes, it was too big for one person.  This was right in the middle of tornado country.  He sold one account, a small grocery run by an elderly couple, a new Pepsi machine to put outside their front door.  One day, there came a tornado through their area and the only thing still standing was the Pepsi machine that the two people clung to for dear life.  They always told Jim he had saved their lives.   

Jim said there was this older man who had a gas station and sold Pepsi products.  Every time Jim would come into the station to collect payment, the man would put an antique firearm on the counter and yell "highway robbery!".  Customers loved to joke around with Jim because he loved people.  Later, when Jim got a route in downtown Cincinnati he had one restaurant customer that would have a free breakfast ready to go for him.  Lunch would be provided by locally famous Izzy Kadetz (hold the gefelte fish!).

Jim injured his back and left Pepsi, divorced and moved in with his friend in the university area of Clifton.  My apartment in Mt. Adams had a problem so I needed an apartment right away and the only one available happened to be in Clifton.  And then it was a miracle that we met at a bar named Dollar Bill's, a student hangout with live music.  We both liked the same music from the 60's, early 70's.  The song by the Turtles comes to mind  "So Happy Together".  About a year after we met we got married in a small service at the Unitarian Church in Clifton.  Jim applied for sales positions at several companies.  In the meantime, he worked as a motorcycle courier but broke his leg in an ice related accident.  Then Steinberg's (an appliance store) called to set up an interview.  Jim showed up on crutches and talked his way into getting the job.  As usual, Jim was top salesman in the Hamilton, Ohio, store even though the commute was more than an hour each way.  When Steinberg's was opening a new store in Lexington, Kentucky, we moved there and Jim continued to succeed in sales.  Everything was going well but not great.  Then we had an idea. 

In February, 1987, we packed up all our stuff with the help of Jim's 2 friends, Jacob and Mark, and headed for the west coast in a rental truck with our kitty and the Buick in tow.   Jim bought a Texan hat and we narrowly outran a dust storm there.  We reached the California border, got cleared on our house plants, and headed for the mountains in the distance.  We just barely made it over the 4,000 ft peak.  After that, we felt good to go.  We unhooked our car and drove in to San Diego all the way to the Pacific Ocean and found an apartment in Ocean Beach just steps away from the sand and about a mile from Sea World, which became our home away from home the first 4 months.  We were looking for jobs but if nothing came up that day, we headed for Sea World.  Luckily, Jim found a spice sales route job and I found a lab job at UCSD. After about a year, I got a good job opportunity at UCSF and we headed out.  The University of CA benefits were so good that Jim unselfishly encouraged me in my career.

Jim's favorite song:  "If you're going to San Francisco,
                              Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair"

We settled into a 3rd story apartment and Jim landed a commercial sales rep job for Terminix pest control company. Kitty suddenly passed over the rainbow bridge to our sorrow.  We were lucky to adopt two kitty brothers, Rocky and Geronimo (Moe for short).  Then on Oct. 17, 1989, the earthquake hit and we were not too happy living there any more.  By Jan., 1990, we were headed for Davis, CA, and gave a big sigh of relief when we got there.  Jim worked in selling pest control;  I worked in a research lab.  Here, we bought some pet fish and turtles which grew to a total of 9 tanks in all.  Jim loved his pets.

Jim found his calling in massage therapy (We watched a video tape he found at a yard sale and both agreed it was something he would be good at). Jim attended massage school in which he excelled.  He had good energy and a couple of the teachers there wanted Jim to do energy work for them.  They did massage for him in exchange. 

After 4 years in Davis, there was an opportunity in Los Angeles for me so we were on the road again.  I started working at UCLA and Jim used his massage training to open an office in Santa Monica.  We lived there for 7 years until upon retirement from UCLA, we moved to Oceanside and then to Escondido where we purchased our first home, a fixer-upper mobile home, which kept us busy.  Jim planted all our house plants outdoors and they thrived under his care. 

We lost Rocky in 2001 (Jim's buddy) and Moe (My buddy) in 2005.  We also just last year saw our remaining 2 fish (Oscar and Boomer) pass over.  Boomer, an upside down catfish, lived 23 years.  We were lucky to adopt 2 great kitties, Alice (Ali for short) and CoCo, who are a comfort to me now. 

I feel priviledged to have shared 27 years with the most wonderful person I could ever know.  I am comforted in knowing without a doubt we will be together again along with all of our wonderful pets in Heaven.