James Jim Alvin Fohrman

James “Jim” Alvin Fohrman will be laid to rest at 10:00 o’clock on the morning of Thursday, July 7th, 2016, at Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton, WA.

He is survived by his children Barbara Kurkowski of Bothell, James Hans Fohrman (Tamaya Tereshkova) of University Place, Kathy McRae (Scott McRae) of Federal Way, step-daughter Jeanette Rikansrud (Mike Rikansrud) of Bonney Lake, grandsons John Kurkowski (Yoshie Kurkowski) of Los Angeles, Jacob McRae currently of Germany, Christian and Robby McRae of Federal Way, and Soren James Fohrman-Tereshkova of University Place.

Jim was born to James Vernon Fohrman and Rosie Wells Fohrman, in a log cabin on the small family farm in Wheeler, Arkansas on December 11th, 1922. He was one of 11 children in the family. Sometime around 1936, the family moved to a larger farm in Benton County, Arkansas. In order to save the family farm upon the death of his father in 1939, on which was still owed $300.00, he joined President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps (the CCC). Jim helped build the Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas, working long days for room, board, and $1.00 a day. In 1942 he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in the Pacific during World War II, seeing there both McArthur and Marcos. Later re-enlisting in 1946, he was a part of the Allied Occupation of Germany, stationed in Augsberg, where he served with the author Louis L’Amour. One of his duties there was as a courtroom guard during some of the War Criminal Trials of Nuremburg. There he also met and married his first wife Irmgard Doess. After returning from Germany with his war bride, he went to school on the G.I. Bill, graduating from Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (“Ole A. & M.”) in 1950. From 1951, Jim worked professionally as a Plumber with the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, UA Local 32. He was always a “Union Man,“ of which he was very proud, having witnessed the extremely difficult tribulations and workplace dangers of the nonunionized American worker, and the union martyrs whose sacrifices gave Americans every benefit, from daily breaks for lunch and bathroom, to having “weekends.” Jim later moved his family to Washington State, where he worked at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in 1954 and later for Union Bay Plumbing Co. in western Washington. Jim and Irmgard had his first daughter, Barbara Irene, and his son Roy James. Roy tragically died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and Jim carried a picture of Roy in his wallet for the rest of his life. Their marriage never recovering from this tragedy, they divorced, and in 1965 he married Christine Ann Jensen, who had a daughter, Jeanette, from a previous marriage. Together, Jim & Chris had a son, James Hans, and a daughter, Kathleen Kristine.

Jim “Sr.” loved to spend his free time flying, earning his pilot’s license to fly single engine airplanes in Renton, WA. After he and Christine divorced, Jim began to focus on earnestly searching for a relationship with God and with his Savior Jesus Christ, and was often seen reading his Bible or in contemplative thought. He retired at the age of 62. He enjoyed his retirement, spending time with his children and grandsons, attending church and giving service to the care of the church grounds, and going for walks, especially walking along the Cedar River with his long-time friend George Howell. His whole life, he was in love with reading, and read daily, sometimes a couple books at the same time. Science fiction, especially the “Hard SF” (more science-based, the classical science fiction) was his favorite, but he also enjoyed reading fantasy and mystery stories, and periodicals (National Geographic, Popular Science, Flying, Discover, etc.). Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars were his favorites for film, though he would watch almost any sci-fi movie. He loved flirting with the waitresses at the local Shari’s restaurant in Renton, and later at the Pine Cone Cafe in University Place, where he moved in 2011 with his son’s family. His favorite thing about living in University Place was having a church he could walk to, the nearby Sunset Bible Church. He prayed daily for the relief of the Walking Wounded, soldiers with PTSD, seeing in them a reflection of what he and his comrades in arms had struggled through. His most recent happiness was being able to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens with all of his children, and having a “sleep over in Papa’s room” just a few days before his death, with his grandson Soren, and a variety of stuffed animals.

To him, family was everything. We will miss him every single day.

In lieu of flowers, he left directions asking that donations might be made to his favorite charity, the Tacoma Rescue Mission, 425 S Tacoma Way, Tacoma, WA 98402