James Orville Waggoner Jr.

James Orville Waggoner, Jr. passed away Saturday, July 5, 2025 in Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen, WA at the age of 97. Jim was born to James O. Waggoner, Sr. “Orville” and Hallie L. Schultz Waggoner on February 8, 1928 in Snohomish, WA. The family moved to the St. Johns area of North Portland when Jim was very young, moving around frequently to many houses in the neighborhood. If Orville could save $5 on rent monthly he would come home from work and let Hallie know they were moving, and she was able to get them moved in a day. Jim remembered such a great childhood with his wonderful parents and sisters.

On Christmas 1937, they moved a little East of Vancouver on Mill Plain Blvd. with his grandparents, and Orville built a home next door where the family lived until Jim’s senior year at Union High School. Summertime he would work on tug boats which went up and down the Columbia River. He worked 20 days on, 10 days off, very much enjoying that job. He remembers V-Day in Astoria when one of his boat mates threw Jim into the Columbia River in all the excitement! He also worked at a gas station when gas was 19 cents a gallon. Jim enjoyed Union High School, and after attending Roosevelt H. S. for a brief time he decided to drive to Union H.S. in his 1934 Ford convertible, and he graduated 1946.

June 1946 Jim enlisted in the Navy and went to Boot Camp in San Diego. When he came home from Boot Camp, his cousin Vollie Waggoner wanted to enlist as well. When it was time to return he took Vollie with him. They both travelled on Jim’s Harley Davidson to San Diego. At one point they ran out of gas and Vollie had to hitch hike quite a ways to get gas, then came back and they finished their trip. It was a story Jim told many times. He and Vollie were closer than brothers, growing up next door to each other in Vancouver and had many memorable adventures together. In the Navy Jim learned to weld and he patched holes in air planes while stationed in Memphis, TN, Jacksonville, FL, Oakland and Alameda, CA.

He came out of the Navy in 1948 and went to work in a sawmill with his father in Linnton, Oregon. He worked there for a short while and then saw a job advertised at House of Carpets where he learned the floor covering trade. This was his natural trade and he excelled at it. Later he went to work for Atiyeh Brothers Carpets where he made custom rugs which were and are amazing. He retired at 70 after having serious heart issues.

Jim married Marian Denton and had 3 children: Jo, Scot and Ed, living in NE Portland. The family enjoyed many camping trips in beautiful Oregon campgrounds, fishing and boating. After 20 years they divorced, and in 1982 Jim married June (Bryan). Their home was in North Portland, with a beautiful yard which Jim enjoyed taking care of as well as feeding the birds and squirrels. They had many wonderful neighbors who were much like family, including Chuck who took Jim on adventures in Oregon. Jim and June travelled the country and had 42 years of marriage. They attended and he was very active at Pioneer United Methodist Church.

Family was important to Jim, and he truly enjoyed photography, gardening, wood working, hunting for arrow heads and rocks. With whatever project he undertook, he was a perfectionist.

In March, 2024 Jim again had serious heart failure and was put on hospice. After 10 months he rebounded and came off hospice. He then moved with his daughter Jo, in Copalis Beach, WA and June moved to a memory care facility in Oregon. After 3 months his health condition took a turn and within hours in the hospital his heart stopped.

Jim is predeceased by his sisters Margaret Bauman and Lucille Ricketts. He is survived and dearly missed by wife June Waggoner, his 3 children, Jo Gosson (Darrell) Copalis Beach, WA, Scot Waggoner (Connie) Siletz, OR, and Ed Waggoner (Pam) Astoria, OR as well as step-children Dodi Redden (Bruce) Bend, OR and James Webb Wasco, OR. He has 8 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great granddaughter. He is also survived by cousins, Vollie Waggoner San Diego, CA and Bonnie Davis Portland, OR.

Arrangements are entrusted with Skyline Memorial Gardens, Portland Oregon. There will not be a service, but friends and family who are able will gather at Skyline Memorial Gardens for Jim’s burial.