James Vadheim
Age - 82
December 1, 2023
James Vadheim3/3/41 - 11/20/23Years ago, I was introduced to a handsome, rugged outdoorsman with whom I fell in love. He challenged me to take risks, opened my eyes to travel and nature-loving activities, and pushed me to become a stronger, assertive woman. Perhaps this was necessary as I adapted to a man with resolute conviction and strength of purpose. I remember thinking that I'd found the perfect mate. . . a man who could build houses and restore cars, but who also liked fine dining, who learned from his parents the value of education, art, and travel, and whose values seemed to match mine. . . a man who believed in celebrating birthdays on the actual date of the birthday, not a day later or a day earlier. And, most importantly, a man who became an active stepfather to my son, Ryan. My son was his best man at our wedding. Jim was born to Dr. James and Jeanne Vadheim in Rochester, Minnesota in March 1941. They moved to Tacoma, Washington when Jim was just a youngster. His early years included annual trips to Minnesota, and an introduction to hunting and restoring cars. Jim was vice president of the Stadium High School student body and was voted "best looking" in his senior class. He was, no doubt, considered a catch with his pretty blue eyes. Known for his pranks, I relished hearing the stories many years later. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound, where he co-founded the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He elected to study biology and zoology, as his need for hands-on, practical learning was satisfied with the sciences. He began his teaching career at Lakes High School, then transferring to Lochburn Junior High. Here he implemented the Lochburn Farm Program, built a barn to house the animals, and introduced the field of animal husbandry and agricultural mechanics. At that time, he and fellow teacher Skip Post kicked off High Country Northwest, a program modeled after Outward Bound. Students were taught basic survival skills, and then were taken on backpacking trips to encourage love of nature, hiking, and self-reflection in the Olympic National Park and Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Always looking for the next opportunity, he spent summers designing and building houses in the Tacoma and Packwood vicinities. Driven to succeed, he and his business partners opened Leisure Sports in 1978, a store specializing in sports equipment. I met him during the last years of his teaching career. Ryan, Jim, and I spent significant time in our wonderful second home in Spring River, Oregon, skiing and kayaking on the beautiful Deschutes River. Snow angels were the norm on New Year's Eve. Never one to sit still, he became enamored with a small island in Hawaii when he was exploring with his good friend, Bill. He called to say they had made an offer on a condo on Molokai. His mother suggested we visit the island to see "what Jimmy has done now. " We made good friends there, cherished beautiful sunsets and the ocean crashing against Kaiaka Rock. We eventually met friends who introduced us to the beauty of British Columbia. Again, Jim pushed forward, and we purchased 70 acres of land, and he built a beautiful cabin with a backdrop of mountains, a creek, and hayfields. Life changed for us in 2018. Jim's health challenges became more significant. We sold the Canadian cabin. We did continue to travel and went on a tour of Nova Scotia, later travelling to Ireland with Ryan in 2019. We returned each year to my family's ranch in Two Dot, Montana. Jim explored every acre of the land and guided me on many long treks across the ranch, looking for wildlife and watching eagles soar. This past summer he made one more trip up the butte on the ATV and returned, acknowledging ". . . it was the ride from hell. " We left in melancholy silence on our last day. Always a realist, he knew he wasn't well and that it would be his final visit to the ranch. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Jeanne Vadheim, Colleen's parents, Peg and Harry Cosgriffe, brother-in-law Ed Markey, former brother-in-law Wayne Mohn, and niece Angela Bittmann. He is survived by wife Colleen, stepson Ryan, sisters Gretchen Bittmann (Rich) and Anitra Vadheim, and nephews Erich, Alex (Kate) and family, Andrew (Genevieve) and daughters, and Gavin. He is also survived by Colleen's sisters Kathleen Mohn (Carl) and Susie Markey as well as nephews Brady Mohn and Barry Mohn (Sara) and their daughters. Special thanks to Ryan and neighbors Tammy and Brian for helping to care for Jim the last days of his life. Donations may be made to St. Leo's Food Connection in Tacoma, Washington, or a charity of your choosing. There will be no memorial. Jim was private in life. He chose to be private in death. Rest in peace, my beloved Jimmy.Show more
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