James Howard Waggoner was born June 1, 1931 to Charles and Ida (Bryson) Waggoner in Kansas City, MO. He was the 5th of 8 children. All but 2 sisters, Naomi Claflin of Gresham and Ethel Burdett of Estacada, preceded him in death.
James married Patricia Ann Claiborne on November 15, 1951. They had 3 children, Jeffery, Holly Moss (husband, Virgil) of Portland and Kenneth (wife, Vicki) of Kent, WA. He had 7 grandchildren and 5, soon to be 6, great grandchildren.
Jim graduated from Roosevelt HS in 1949 and joined the Navy in 1950. He was in Naval Air starting as an airplane mechanic and retired as Senior Chief Aviation Maintenance Administrationman, working as a Data Analyst, where he began his growing involvement with computers, which continued until his death. He served during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Jim was stationed mostly on the West Coast; Whidbey Island NAS, WA; Alameda, NAS, Lemoore NAS; and Miramar NAS all in California. From 1964 to 1966 he and the family lived in the Philippines, where he was stationed at Cubi Point NAS. This was a favorite memory of the family. Jim retired from the USS Aircraft Carrier Oriskany, in 1971. As many of you know, Jim loved to recount his Navy experiences.
He and Pat square danced for many years and enjoyed RVing with friends and family. Jim’s favorite pastime was fishing, for most any kind of fresh water fish. In his later years he really enjoyed bass fishing. He loved taking his grandkids fishing.
Jim was a member of the Pleasant Valley Community Baptist Church for 41 years, serving in many offices. One of his favorite pastimes was going out to eat with friends. He also, loved his two little dogs, Dusty and Raggs, they both fit on his lap at the same time - which he encouraged.
Jim died very suddenly on June 15, 2013. There will be a memorial service held Sunday, June 23rd at Pleasant Valley Community Baptist Church. Donations may be made to a memorial fund in his name at the church.
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