James Edward Rolfe Jr. was born in Bridgeport, CT to James and Marie Rolfe on February 25, 1948. He was the oldest of 7 children and helped to raise his younger siblings. Jim spent several of his adolescent years in Gloversville, NY with Dominic “Pa” Muscato.
After graduating from Trumbull High School, Jim enlisted in the Marine Corps in June of 1967. Following his time in the service, he enrolled at the University of Bridgeport where he graduated with his Bachelors in Accounting and also met his first wife, Joanne. Jim was the first in his family to graduate college with a bachelors degree.
Jim’s first two children, Jeanine and Jason were born in 1978 in Connecticut. By 1980, the family had moved to Washington state, where Jaci was born. In April of 1983, the family moved back to Connecticut. After several months, they knew they wanted to be back west and following a series of moves, the family settled in Visalia, CA. The love of the outdoors and skiing eventually drew Jim to Lake Tahoe and in 1987, he began his career in casino finance at Caesars Tahoe.
Jim has held various job positions in the casino industry and in several states, including: Mississippi, California, and Nevada. Jim and Joanne were divorced in 2000 and he moved to Las Vegas to pursue another job in the industry.
In 2002, while living in Las Vegas, he married his second wife Linda. They lived together at their home in Las Vegas for several years. Jim’s career would bring him back to Northern Nevada.
While back in the Lake Tahoe area he continued to pursue his love of photography, skiing, shooting, and enjoying nature. Jim’s dedication to his friends in the casino industry kept him employed and from full retirement. In 2011, Jim purchased a fixer-upper in Gardnerville. He spent thousands of hours landscaping, painting, and renovating the property to create a home that he was proud of.
Jim passed peacefully on June 21, 2016 at the age of 68 in his Gardnerville home. His final days were spent on a new landscaping project for the front yard. Jim was proud to be the oldest living Rolfe at the time of his death. He is preceded in death by his siblings, Darla, Jerry, and Doreen. He is survived by his wife Linda, his three children and their spouses (Jeanine and Brad Ritzel, Jason and Lauren Rolfe, Jaci and Matt Perluss) and their mother Joanne, his stepchildren their spouses and children (Richard Moon, Aaron, Brandi, Devon, and Lars Bothof, and AJ Bothof), his three siblings and their spouses (Donna and Phil Richardson, Jeff and Lizzie Rolfe, and Dee and Mike Herde), and his many nieces and nephews, as well as extended family members.