James Delbert Cline

James Delbert Cline

Jim, JC, Jiminy

10/26/49-01/02/25

Jim, JC, Jiminy, all one and the same, passed peacefully on January 2, 2025, from Pancreatic Cancer, being diagnosed one year earlier.

Jim, son of Janice Oatman Carriere and Raymond Wallace Cline, was born and raised in Michigan.

The Army brought him to the Pacific Northwest in 1972, but he stayed because his job, working with torpedoes, as a Navy civilian kept him here. It was in Keyport where he met good friend Dale and his wife Sandra. They shared many spicy Chinese meals and made a lot of memories together.

Jim’s goal was to retire by age 45, which he did in part thanks to then President Clinton’s early retirement opportunity for Federal Employees. While working full time he also fished commercially, designed and built several houses, did taxidermy, and started ‘JC Rare Coins’.

Living in Poulsbo in a house he built, his best neighbors ever, Mike and Sally, became family, forming a lifelong friendship. They included him in family dinners, holidays, and many, many, many hours of cards. He then moved to Diamond Point, and eventually Sequim, where his coin shop was located.

He joined Sunland Golf Club where he learned the game of golf and proudly tied for Men’s Club Champion in 2001. He continued with golf until a month prior to passing, enjoying the game, but more so, the camaraderie shared with Brian and Frank.

After ‘really’ retiring, Jim enjoyed traveling with Toni by his side. By car, train, cruise ship, tour boat, gondola, tram, innertube, ferry or begrudgingly planes; snow birding both Hawaii and Arizona, cruises to Alaska, Panama Canal, Sea of Cortez, Tahiti, (there was a little flight involved with that one…) Bora Bora, Caribbean and more. And those planes? Large or small, floating or not, were certainly necessary when he wanted to see Denali in all it’s glory, or helicopter over to the glaciers, or see the bears feeding on salmon! The bears were his all-time favorite travel destination. And it’s there, with bears, salmon, moose, eagles and all things Alaska that he is scattered.

For Jim, his happy place was home, with a fire in the fireplace or a project to work on. No matter where we traveled, he was always happy to get back home. And we miss him here at home. Baxter, even a year later, keeps waiting for him to walk through the door. I miss sharing my day with him.

The kids, Charlie, TiAnna, Stacey and Andrew, miss playing ‘Jim Win’s’, a card game that he taught us, but he almost always won, thus the name. Chance and Dash miss him watching their soccer games and the girlies, Paige and Scarlett, miss sitting on his lap eating candy. They miss their Jiminy. We all miss our Jiminy.

Jim died peacefully at home with Toni by his side. He lived a loud life, full of love and adventures, on his terms. He made decisions based on facts, built things to last and loved deeply. He chose to end his journey using Death with Dignity and donating his body to Medcure for research. Our deepest

gratitude to Nick Grinnell at Jamestown, Picozzi’s TEAM of support at Virginia Mason 2nd floor, especially Dr Beiter. And finally, to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, we thank you again and again. They would certainly appreciate your thoughtful donations.