James "Jt" Thomas McDuffie III

James “JT” McDuffie, III, 58, passed away suddenly on December 18, 2013 in his home in Newport Beach, CA. He was preceded in death by his father, Dr. James Thomas McDuffie, Jr; he is survived by his mother Kathryn Irene (Bom) McDuffie, his wife Diana L. Catsoulas, sister Mary McDuffie, brother David L McDuffie (Loritha),; daughter Katirna (Steve) Heyder, sons James T. McDuffie IV (Kim) and Scott A McDuffie; Step-son, Steve (Sarah); Cochran; step-daughter Heather Chapline; granddaughters, Makala, Aliyah and Sidney Heyder; grandsons, James Thomas McDuffie IV, Hunter and David McDuffie; niece Glory Smith; step grand-daughters Jeneane and Eowyn Cochran.

LIFE REFLECTIONS

Jim was born into a Christian family during the winter months of 1955 when travel across the Rocky Mountains was difficult. His father, Dr. James T. McDuffie, Jr., M.D., had a practice in Newcastle, WY, and could not leave his patients for any length of time. JT’s ‘mother, Kathryn Irene (Bom) McDuffie, chose a doctor in Denver, CO as her attending physician. When it came time for Jim to be born, she traveled to Denver and stayed with friends until labor started. When his dad walked into the hospital room after Jim’s birth, his first words are reported to have been “We haven’t picked a name for a boy. What are we going to name him?” His mother said, “James Thomas the third, of course.”

Jim at one point wrote of his earliest memories were when his parents accepted a call to open a mission hospital in the Eastern region of Nigeria, West Africa. In these writings from a few years ago, Jim wrote, “Dad spent nearly two years re-building the facilities into something that resembled a hospital and medical clinic, then operated the facility until we were replaced by the next family. This was a wondrous time of learning and adventure for a young boy. Living on the backside of nowhere I learned about life in a way that it is impossible to fully explain. I believe that the influence of my grandmothers on my parents was very evident in how I was lead to learn and allowed to explore the world around me. The children of the hospital employees were my friends who escorted me into the wonderland of the African landscape showing me their world in all its little details.”

Remembering the hospital facilities he wrote, “Then there were the hospital facilities: the generating plant, medical laboratory, carpentry shop, kitchens, laundry, and the hospital itself. Mom made me my own set of surgical scrubs and Dad ordered gloves to fit my small hands. At age 9 I was the acting surgical assistant during numerous procedures. This was truly a rich environment for a questing mind to grow in.”

“When we left Nigeria, Dad and I traveled the world together. We traveled from Lagos to Johannesburg, South Africa, to Nairobi, Kenya, to Addis Abba, Ethiopia, and to Cairo, Egypt. In Egypt we spent time visiting the many temples, tombs, famous sites, and museums. From Egypt we traveled to Jordan where we spent several weeks traveling through both Israel and Jordan. From Jordan we flew to Prague, Czechoslovakia and then into East Berlin, Germany. This was many years before the fall of the wall separating the East and West Germanys. We took a subway from East Berlin into West Berlin, walking through the checkpoints from one train onto another. Once in West Germany, we purchased a VW station wagon and drove across the length and breadth of Europe, spending much of our time in the northern countries: Holland, Sweden, and Denmark. Putting the car on a ship, we flew to Iceland for a night and on to New York City”

Homeschooled by his mother for the first three years while they lived in Nigeria, Jim noted fondly learning ‘informally’ at his father’s knee. “When I awoke early I would find my father studying under a coal-oil lamp in those early morning hours. He would place me on his lap as he taught me lessons from the Bible open on his desk.”

Returning to America the family settled in Oxnard California where Jim was schooled in private Christian schools, Linda Vista Junior Academy, Newbury Park High and Newbury Park Academy. Jim attended college at Pacific Union College (PUC), in Angwin, CA for the first two years.

Jim wrote, “I took a break after the fall quarter of my junior year at PUC. A one quarter break became a two quarter break which became an over 30 year break. During this time I was employed as a software developer and technical manager. I credit my experiences growing up as having prepared me to succeed in the highly competitive technology world.”

“School teaches how to think and how to find answers. Education exposes a person to information but more importantly it teaches one how to think critically about the subject matter. Equally important is the ethical framework these schools helped me to create for myself. In addition, many life friendships were formed in both high school and college that have enriched my life over the years.´ Jim later completed (with honors) his Bachelors in Management from University of Phoenix in 2008.