Growing up in the small town of Darlington, he was a mischievous, fun loving lad. He loved sports, tolerated school, and was the apple of his mother's eye. He started caddying at the local golf course when he was 11. When not busy, he would practice his shots, saying 'I dare not lose the ball. I only had one.' With his dad's death, when he was 16, he went to work delivering papers. He then got a job at the local grocery store as a delivery boy and became an apprentice butcher. All this time, he continued to caddy and in his last years in Darlington set the club record, which stood for years.

When he made journeyman, he went to Madison where there was more opportunity and found work on a swing shift. This gave him the chance to play golf in the afternoons working early in the morning and during the late evenings. He loved it. He was once asked 'Why don't you go pro?" His answer was "I need a steady income to support my mother and sisters.' Becoming disgusted over a broken promise of a pay raise, he joined the army in 1940, hoping to go west and see HI and the Pacific. In the army, he was trained as a communication operator. After the declaration of War, he was given a choice to go East or West. He chose West, still hoping to get to HI.

The troop ship never stopped in HI. It was headed for Australia, but the convoy was torpedoed and his lagging troop ship ended up in India- only the last troop ship, no equipment and no supplies made it. Bored with filling sandbags, he 'volunteered' when they were looking for men to go to China. For the next 2+ years he was a communication operator for the 14th Air Force, 75th Fighter Squadron-"The Flying Tigers". Returning to Clovis, NM, Jim met his future wife. She changed his life. He never planned to get married; he loved the army and planned to re enlist.

Marrying in August 1945, he was discharged and the young couple had to decide where to settle. Not wanting to return to northern climes, finding no work in Denver, CO, they ended up in Alameda CA. Here, he started with his first open air meat market. But after a couple of years, detesting the weather, they relocated to southern California. In 1951, they bought a small 'mom and pop' grocery store. Over the next 27 years, they built that little store up to an award winning gourmet market.

Going to Kona, HI for a golf vacation with friends in 1977, he jokingly told their friends 'If you find the perfect house, call." Six weeks later at 4AM he got a call saying they had found the perfect house. Flying over a week later, they agreed, purchased the house, and were golfing by late afternoon. Giving his sons 6 months to decide if they wanted to take over the business, he retired to Kona March 1978.

In Kona he joined the Kona Men's Golf Club, golfing at least 3 times a week. He served as club president, was club champion several times, had several holes in one and a double eagle. At 92, he was guest of honor at the Hawaiian Senior Golf Tournament; he always said it was one of the highlights of his life. His last tournament was the 'Member and Guest Tournament' in Feb 2015, when he played with his oldest son. Jim was 97 1/2 years old and they placed in the top 10. He never had a game after 85 that had a score higher than his age. He was also active in the Outdoor Circle, partnered in a fishing boat, took many expeditions around the Big Island, and did extensive world traveling.

Jim was a devoted family man, an acute businessman, and a warm, outgoing, humorous friend. He didn't care who you were or what your background was, if you were upright and honest, he accepted and enjoyed your company. Jim loved life and he loved living it to the fullest, always ready with a friendly smile, a bit of advice, Irish blarney, and a helping hand.