Jim D. Cudney

James Darwin Cudney, also known as “Jim,” and to his family, “Jimmy,” passed away quietly in Las Vegas Nevada on March 23, 2024. Jim was born in the San Fernando Valley, California, on May 20, 1965, to Darwin and Gail (Smith) Cudney. Growing up in the bucolic suburb of Newberry Park, he and his childhood friends on Bluefield Avenue learned to cycle, skateboard, and play sports. Jim also learned to waterski at an early age, camping and skiing with family and close friends on the beautiful lakes of California and Arizona.

Moving to Santa Barbara in the late 1970’s, Jim’s keen engineering intellect begin to emerge, and one could frequently find him tinkering with electronic devices and ham radios for hours on end. Jim loved nothing more than reading his Popular Mechanics magazines and teaching himself how electrical things worked. On to San Dimas, where he graduated from San Dimas High School in 1984. Jim’s interest in electrical engineering continued as he pursued his education at ITT Technical Institute where he earned an associate degree in the late 1980’s.

Professionally, Jim was employed by Boeing and TRW in the 1990’s where he was an active team member responsible for stress testing large scale aviation equipment. While he enjoyed those roles, Jim’s greatest accomplishment was working for the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. Tapping into his computer programing skills, he helped manage the mission’s information technology department and doner programs, achieving success and recognition while helping those less fortunate than himself.

Jim was a quiet, unassuming, and deeply intelligent man. Gone too soon, he will be forever missed by his family and those closest to him. In the immortal words of Indiana Jones, “…but into the great unknown mystery, I go first...” Dearest Jimmy, rest in peace, we will meet again!

Jim is preceded in death by his father, Darwin Cudney, his paternal grandparents, Leonard and Eunice (Halleck) Cudney, his maternal grandparents, Russell and Jean (Bass) Smith. He is survived by his mother, Gail (Smith) Cudney, his sister, Julie Cudney-King, his brother William (Bill) Cudney, and his nephews, George, Billy, and Cody Cudney. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society.