Martin "Marty" Henry James, Jr.

Martin James Jr. left this earth April 1, 2026 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle Washington with his family by his side. It was appropriate that April First was his day of passing as humor was his favorite mode of connection and communication. Never missing the opportunity for a joke.

Marty was born in Kalispell, Montana in the summer of 1937. He was the first son, and 2nd of 8 children born to Martin and Helena James. In 1941 the family moved to Seattle, Washington for work during the war effort. They lived in a country home in West Seattle where Marty grew up climbing trees and playing at Alkai beach. He spent summers back in Montana to work at his family’s tourist lodge in Glacier National Park. Here he spent time horseback riding, hiking, swimming, and enjoying life with his cousins and coworkers.

In Seattle, Marty would attend Holy Rosary, O’Dea High, and Seattle University. He would eventually graduate SU with a degree in Sociology which was Marty’s true passion, people. At one point Marty entered Jesuit Seminary to become a priest but would ultimately pursue teaching instead. He signed up with the Northwest Jesuit Volunteer Corp and headed to rural Alaska.

He taught at St Mary’s catholic school from 1962-1964. Afterwards, he spent a brief year as a social worker in Anchorage to help in the relief effort after the Good Friday Earthquake. He continued his teaching career in Nome Alaska from 1965 to 1970 while working on his graduate degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks. Many of his students remember him fondly to this day.