James Marvin Culpepper

James Marvin CULPEPPER James Jim / "Pepper" M. Culpepper went home to join his wife of 62 years, Beverly & his Lord, Jesus Christ on September 4, 2007. He was born on October 22, 1919 in Palmyra, Arkansas & resided most of his adult life in Bothell and Woodinville. Jim graduated from Glendale High School in Arkansas & was an All League athlete in basketball, track & baseball and in 1938 began a sixty year career as a journeyman electrician. Just a few months ago he received his sixty year pin as a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers IBEW. In 1942 he left Arkansas to join the Navy to serve his country in WWII. After WWII, for a second career, he joined the Naval Air reserve and flew as a navigator / communications officer for the next 34 years. He met his future wife, Beverly Hartwig Culpepper in the Navy while both were involved in teaching weapons training. They married in Seattle in 1944. After leaving the Navy Jim worked for five years as an electrician in Seattle before he began a 25 year civil service career based at Ft. Lawton in Seattle. He was the manager of maintenance & construction for the US Army bases and sites in the Puget Sound area and he enjoyed being a Navy man commanding the Army personnel. He single-handedly managed the deactivation of the military base when it became Discovery Park. Jim always portrayed optimism and a positive attitude toward life and other people. He was always helping someone and was never too shy to talk to a stranger. At 16 years of age Jim and three friends went to salvage yards and bought parts and pieces to build a 1932 Ford car that actually ran. He and his wife, Beverly built two residences in Bothell and did 80% of the work themselves. Jim was also the neighborhood "Handyman", always fixing the neighbors plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems. Jim's summer vegetable gardens at his Woodinville and Bothell homes fed his family, the neighborhood families and many others who might drive by the area. Jim positively affected many young boys' lives being the Scoutmaster of Troop 427 in the Bothell area and helped his son's youth baseball teams by being an assistant coach, scorekeeper & statistician. He & his wife, Beverly were members of the Bothell United Methodist Church for over 55 years and Jim individually contributed hundreds of hours of labor constructing the new church and additions at its present location. James Culpepper was the epitome of hard work and responsibility. Jim had a passion for life, especially the love for his family and the love of fishing. Most of his summer vacations were spent with his family fishing at Sekiu, Westport, Cowlitz River steelhead and Spectacle Lake in Eastern Washington. If there was a "Hall of Fame" for Amateur Fishermen, Jim would most likely be President & MVP. Jim was actively involved in the private incubation and rearing of salmon in many of the Eastside creeks, his way of giving back to the fishery that he loved so much. Beverly, his wife of 62 years, preceded him in death this past December and James is survived by his son, Gary and daughter-in-law, Alea of Woodinville, WA.; his daughter, Barbara of Beaverton, OR.; five Grandsons: Caser, Shaker, Reis, Jeff & Jeremy; seven Granddaughters: Jill, Suzanne, Jacque, Jessica, Tiffany, Michelle and Rachel; & four super great grandchildren: Ellen, Tyler, James, and Kyle. A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, September 14th, 2007 at the Bothell United Methodist Church next to Bothell High School. Remembrances can be made to the Bothell United Methodist Church.