Jim Kirker

James T. Kirker, 63, died September 18, 2010 in Ilwaco, Washington. A resident of Boardman, Oregon, Jim was born September 28, 1946 at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Proud of his family lineage, his great-grandfather Tobey was captain of sailing vessels and his grandfather (one of the first mining engineers in Kansas) and grandmother, both college graduates who hailed from Kansas, settled in Parkdale, Oregon where they farmed. The youngest of three children born to James and Elizabeth (Tobey) Kirker, Jim resided in the Portland and Milwaukie areas of Oregon until moving to Las Vegas, Nevada as a teenager. There he graduated from Western High School in 1965. Following a year at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Jim returned to Oregon where he graduated from Portland State University with a degree in business in 1969. Jim was employed for 18 years in the telephone industry before purchasing a motel in Boardman in 1990 and he continued as owner/operator of the motel until recently retiring. Jim was baptized in the Episcopalian faith. He was a member and active supporter of the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria. He was a frequent visitor to the Peninsula and enjoyed the annual rod run over the last 12 years. Jim was a devoted family man who cherished the company of his wife, his daughter and his grandchildren. A man of many and varied interests, Jim could be found doing leather craft, building doll houses, beachcombing, crabbing and clamming, four-wheeling, hunting, and cooking for family and friends. Additionally he was quite the card shark, a fixer of all things (except the boat!), and a man of exploration who inspired trust in the less adventuresome with the words "trust me". Jim married Inez Mathison on October 27, 1967 in Las Vegas. She survives residing at the family house in Ocean Park and also helping run the motel in Boardman. Also surviving are his daughter Laura Morris of Hermiston, OR; his brother William Kirker of Las Vegas, NV; his sister Charlotte Hill of Boardman, OR; grandchildren Meisha Morris, Alicia Muir, Casey Muir and Madison Morris; numerous nieces and nephews and other members of his extended family. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter Janet Ann Kirker. Funeral service will be held Saturday, September 25, 2010, 1:00 PM at Penttila's Chapel by The Sea in Long Beach with a reception following at the chapel. The casket will be open at the chapel before the service. Jim's guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com. His family wishes to express their appreciation to personnel from Fire District No. 1 and the emergency room staff at Ocean Beach Hospital who cared for Jim during his last hour.