This is the true story of Jim Jordan, beloved husband, father, and Poppop. Jim passed away, peacefully at home, on the morning of August 14, 2018, surrounded by his wife and children, after a brief illness following a stroke. He was a resident of the Monterey Peninsula for more than half a century, and a proud Navy veteran and retired public school teacher.
He is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Sandra Jordan; two children, Jennifer Jordan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Daniel Kern) and Carl Jordan of Burbank, California (Carrie Diaz), as well as two grandsons, Clyde and Clement; two brothers, Carl Jordan and Ron Jordan; and many dear nieces and a nephew and their families. Jim was born at home in South Bend, Indiana, the second of four sons. He grew up on the south side of Chicago. Among his many childhood pursuits, including stealing fruit off of neighbors’ trees and hitching a ride on the back of streetcars in the icy Chicago winters, he also took drawing classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, and learned to fly with his father and older brother, soloing in a Stinson on his 16th birthday.
Jim joined the Navy as a teenager, and served four years on a diesel submarine, the USS Clamagore, based out of Key West (an experience that some of you may have heard a few stories about). After completing college at Valparaiso University, and teaching for a few years in the Midwest, Jim decided he had had enough of snow, and took a job at Pacific Grove Middle School in the early 1960s. Here he met Sandra, at a faculty meeting in the school library, and they married in December 1968. They raised their children in Pacific Grove, and Jim taught P.E. and social studies to legions of Pacific Grove Middle Schoolers, coached sports, announced games, and contributed his paintings to a range of causes, including the Monterey Museum of Art, the Bach Festival, the Recovery Center, and more.
Jim’s ashes will be scattered in a private ceremony. There are currently no plans for a public memorial service, but please visit the Paul Mortuary website to sign the condolence book, and if you wish to further honor his memory, please consider a donation in his name to PG Pride, for art, sport and music supplies for middle schoolers. His kind heart would be thrilled to know that you are helping to look out for the kids to whom he devoted so much of his life.
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