James E. O'Halloran III

O'HALLORAN,III
James Emor
"Skip"

February 27, 1938 -"
February 23, 2011

We remember with
love James Emor "Skip"
O'Halloran, III, who passed
away after a brief illness on
February 23, 2011. Skip was
born February 27, 1938, in
Ainsworth, Nebraska. He was the son of James Emor O'Halloran, II, and Doris Lyman O'Halloran. Skip grew up in a military family, and lived in Nebraska, Hawaii, and California. He graduated from Ainsworth High School and later from the University of Nebraska with a B.A. in business administration. While in high school, he played in the Nebraska state basketball tournament, and in college was active in ROTC. As a youth, he worked in his grandfather's hardware and lumber store, and on ranches in the Sandhills region of Nebraska. His favorite summer job was as a ranger in Yosemite National Park in 1959. While in college he met Teresa "Terry" Laura Mitchem, the love of his life, and they married on February 5, 1960. They eventually had four children.
He was a captain in the United States Air Force, and moved to Spokane where he was based at Fairchild Air Force Base in 1963. During his Air Force career, Skip flew 13 combat missions in Vietnam. He received awards for best formation flying, and he qualified to fly fighter jets. In 1965, Skip left the Air Force to become a commercial pilot. He and Terry moved to the San Francisco Bay Area at that time, but returned to Spokane in 1972 where he continued to reside for 39 years. He was an international and domestic pilot for Pan American Airways and later for United Airlines. Over the years, he flew many different planes, including the T-33, T-37, KC-135, DC-8, DC-10, 707, 727, and 747, and he traveled all over the world. In 1982 he received commendation for successfully landing a 747 in Honolulu, Hawaii, following the detonation of a terrorist's bomb on his plane en route from Japan.
Skip was also a soccer coach and an Indian Guides leader. He was PTA president at Brentwood Elementary School while his children attended there. Skip loved to fly fish and was a lifetime member of Trout Unlimited. He actively supported environmental and human rights groups, as well as the Democratic Party. For a number of years Skip was a serious jogger, and in 1979 he completed the Coeur d' Alene Marathon. He enjoyed membership in the United Airline Retirees group, watching Gonzaga basketball, playing with his grandson, cooking, sailing catamarans at Priest Lake, and visiting with his many wonderful friends. He regularly solved the New York Times crossword puzzle and enjoyed playing with his Newfoundland dogs and, later, his cats. Above all, he loved to tell stories about his many travels and adventures.
Skip is preceded in death by his parents, James O'Halloran and Doris Smith, and his wife of 42 years, Teresa "Terry" L. O'Halloran. He is survived by his children, Kevin (and Jane) O'Halloran, Mei O'Halloran, Sean (and Jaime) O'Halloran, Dr. Elizabeth "Betsy" O'Halloran, and his grandson, William O'Halloran, as well as by beloved friends and relatives.
In lieu of flowers, donations to The Lands Council or the Selkirk Conservation Alliance would be welcome. His life was celebrated by wake on the day before what would have been his seventy-third birthday. The family anticipates a further memorial service this spring. He will be greatly missed but never forgotten.