James Herig

Born in Ohio, and raised in South Florida, he grew up enjoying baseball and fishing in the Hialeah and Delray areas. Upon leaving high school he joined the United States Navy, assigned initially to the “Mothball Fleet” in Bremerton, Washington. His next assignment took him to Atsugi Naval Air Station in Atsugi, Japan, where he spent two years on the USS Mahan DLG111 based in Yokosuka during the Vietnam War. While stationed in Japan, Jim became skilled in Karate and the Japanese language.

Returning home after his military service Jim worked in various areas of construction, and as a lineman for FP&L before finding his lifelong passion in emergency medical services. For twenty years, he worked for Boynton Beach Fire Department as a firefighter and paramedic. During this time, he also instructed EMT and Paramedic students at Palm Beach Community College, Broward Community College, South Technical Institute, and Health Career Institute, while simultaneously continuing his own education. After his retirement from the Fire Department he earned his degree in Nursing and worked at JFK Medical Center as an Emergency Room Nurse. All the while still passing his knowledge on to new generations of medical professionals as an EMT & Paramedic Clinical Instructor with Health Career Institute. In his free time, Jim enjoyed sailing his catamaran, scuba diving, fishing, and spending time with his family and many friends.

He is survived by his soulmate and wife of nearly 36 years, Kathy Herig; children Stacy Herig, Justin Peters, and Mhegan Kravit; Grandchildren Ryan, Sophie, C.J., and Hunter; his sister Barbara Bashaw; his niece Laura Patke; and hundreds of friends. He was predeceased by his father Paul and his mother Diane.

A Service and Celebration of Life will be held at Dorsey E. Earl Smith Funeral Home (3041 Kirk Rd. Lake Worth, FL 33461) on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 11:00 AM.