As a kid growing up in the Cambrian Park ward a few years older than James I remember James being really easy going and happy. After I went away to college, got married and moved back to San Jose we would still see James and the rest of the family often - watching our siblings in Leigh Marching Band competitions or choral/band/musical performances, Zion Youth Choir firesides, weddings, and other church gatherings. I could always count on James to be genuinely excited to see us and reach out to shake hands. He usually quoted my new address and would usually tell me a fact about another member of my family such as who my in-laws are and what their address is, or where my brother was serving a mission. He sometimes would ask me questions about other family members. He often asked me to remind him what my sister Christy's married name is. He sometimes would tell me about happenings in his own family too - like Elisabeth getting married or her new baby. Our conversations were never quite exactly the same thing twice and he'd always surprise me with something that would make me smile even bigger than I already was. However, I could always count on a, "Good to see you," and I felt like he meant it.
Posted for Janet Chiba Williams
Before we ever came to this earth we already knew about many of the challenges that we would encounter upon arriving here. Some of us knew that we would come to earth inheriting a defective body. Others knew that we would have the challenge of mental or emotional problems. Still others knew that we would be born into poverty, or even worse, into wealth. Whatever our challenges, we, along with James, raised our hand and said, "That will be just fine. I will be happy to accept those challenges. Because I want my earthly body. I know that only by attaining that imperfect body will I ever be able to attain a body like my Heavenly Father has - perfect, glorified, exalted."
ReplyDeleteSo we all came to earth and took on our challenges. Some of us did better than others. Some of us complained or made excuses. Others moved ahead valiently,achieving greatness despite the challenges. James was in the second group. He completed every test that was put before him. He overcame his obstacles and showed the way to others who should have done much better,
James, my life is better because of the example that you set for me. Congratulations for having completed the course and for having shown us the way. I will look forward to the day that we might stand side by side as sons of God and as eternal friends.
President Lynn Shurtleff
Montevideo Uruguay Temple
Everyone James touched became his friend and even those whom he did not know became acquainted with him. He did not live in our ward when most of our seven children were growing up but when they would come to back San Jose for a visit, he would rush over to them, call them by name and tell them where they lived. All of our children eventually met James and they were friends. Yhey all were saddened when they heard he had left this life.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, James told me the turn-by-turn directions from Mt Madonna State Park (where we were at a the annual Fathers and Sons outing) to the Orange County Fairgrounds. If knew that if I ever needed to go there, James would be my navigator.
And, thanks to James, I learned all the types of trees planted around the Noreen Chapel.
We will all miss James and his enthusiasm for life, his knowledge of quaint facts, his joy in living in spite of whatever limitations he had, but most of all, I will miss his sweet innocence and genuineness in meeting with and talking to everyone. I am sure he has already made all kinds of friends beyond this mortal veil. I can't wait to rub shoulder with him again.
I will never for get the day the Stuarts moved into our ward and introduced us all to their sweet little family. We were told that James had some amazing abilities but we did not get an introduction to them until the day he got a hold of one of the old ward lists that Harold had access to as a clerk. James had taken it upon himself to memorize all the birthdates of people in the ward and one day Randol came to me and said " we have a little problem" with a smile. It seems that James was approaching many of the older sisters and reciting their birthdates and age out loud! We told Harold what was happening and he said " I can promise you two things... one is that he will not have any further access to the list and two.... he will not forget anything he already committed to memory! How true that was... and how true is it that none of us will ever forget James and his guileless personality and the glimpses he gave all of us into what it takes to be an inheritor of all the Father hath promised to His noble spirit children.
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