James Richard Hobbs

James Hobbs passed away on May 28, 2021 in Seattle, Wash., due to illness from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was born to a coal mining family on October 20, 1943, in Sandy Bottom, WV. Following WWII, his parents moved to Elizabethtown, Ky, for several before the family relocated to Salinas, Calif. James graduated high school and Hartnell College in Salinas, and went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Architecture. He later began his graduate studies at the University of Washington in Architecture before volunteering for service in the US Army during the Vietnam War. He served as an illustrator stationed in Saigon for two years, and later picked up his graduate studies again at UW, earning his master’s degree. After working for Weyerhaeuser for three years, he landed a position with the prestigious architecture firm, NBBJ. He worked for the firm for nearly 50 years, specializing in medical facilities, having proudly worked on Children’s Hospital, Valley Medical Center, and UW Medicine Roosevelt Clinic, among other projects. James enjoyed sailing, antiquing, gourmet cooking, automobiles and playing piano. He is survived by his partner of 43 years (Dan), sister (Nina) and many nieces and nephews. James was a kind and quiet man with a personality that matched. There are no services planned.