James E. "Jim" Herbold, Jr., 95, also known as Skee, was born in Pasadena, Calif., on Aug. 13, 1917. He grew up in Pasadena, graduated from UCLA in 1939 and attended graduate school in Washington, DC until joining the Marine Corps in 1941. Fighting in the South Pacific in WWII, he earned a Silver Star on Tarawa. When he came home he married Barbara Ann Hayes and together they decided Jim would make the Marine Corps his career. Their two daughters were born while they lived in Washington, DC, but the family moved regularly between Southern California, Hawaii, Philadelphia and the DC area. During the Vietnam War, Jim was Commanding General of the Marine Corps logistical force in Vietnam. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1970 as a Brigadier General. After a year of traveling in Europe, Jim and Barbara moved to Portland where Jim eventually become the Business Manager of Miller Nash, a large local law firm. Their daughters soon followed. Jim retired again in 1982 and was then able to spend more time as a volunteer, serving on the boards of Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center as well as their Foundation and the Parry Center for Children and in numerous capacities at his church. During his time on the Board of Trustees at Good Sam, Jim became interested in hospice care, ultimately serving as President of the Board of Directors of Oregon Hospice Association. Also during this time, he gave freely of his time, energy and financial backing to assist in the creation of the law firm that is now Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf for his daughter, Barrie Herbold, and her law partner, David Markowitz. Contrary to the stereotype of a U.S. Marine, Jim was a gentle and peaceful man. He was known to many as Gentleman Jim for those qualities and all the others that come to mind with the word gentleman. He died on April 7, 2013 in the Memory Care Unit at Mirabella Portland. His daughter, Barrie, died in 2001, but he is survived by his wife; his daughter, Cynda; his grandsons, Jamie and Robyn Powell-Herbold; and great-grandchildren, Parker and Penelope.

There will be a memorial service with military honors at the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Baptist, 6300 SW Nicol Road in Portland, at 2 p.m., on May 4, 2013.

Published in The Oregonian
on April 27, 2013