James Venable

James "Jim" Venable lived a life rooted in faith, love, humor, and deep devotion to his family and community. On January 11, 2026, after an 8-year battle with Prostate Cancer, Jim went home to be with his Lord, passing peacefully and free from pain. His suffering ended, his battle complete—Jim won.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 3rd, 1950, to Fred and Violet Venable, Jim was shaped by family and an enduring love of life. Jim spent his childhood and youth traveling far and wide—from Germany to Georgia, North Carolina, and Indiana—wherever his father's Army service led their family. His love for Hawaiian culture was kept alive through his Portuguese family, who had lived on Oahu for three generations with family living there still today.

Jim settled in Seattle and graduated from Franklin High School. He pursued his passion for baseball while attending Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen Washington on a scholarship. His lifelong relationship with Jesus began when invited to a Young Life Campus event. From the moment he was introduced, his life was changed forever. He was a passionate athlete and sports fan, cheering on the Mariners and Seahawks as a lifelong fan. Jim was a natural teacher who found great joy in coaching youth baseball and mentoring young athletes. He was being scouted for the minor leagues from Grays Harbor when a shoulder injury ended that dream. He returned to Seattle after school and settled there.

Jim met and married Jody Venable, and they celebrated 48 years together this past August. Soon after, they welcomed their three children, Jason Venable, Trisha (Venable) Montgomery, and Tim Venable. The family has always been close and bonded, and the same remains true today. His kids loved him more than life.

Jim's love of motor racing became a defining part of family life. He was deeply involved in racing with his children and served as President of the Quarter Midgets Association, and continued racing Spec Miata with his sons through IRDC even in recent years. Working on the cars with his sons was one of his favorite things to do. He often led prayer groups at the track and deeply enjoyed the community of the racing clubs.

He was known for his impeccable ability to recall and tell a story, remembering every tiny detail. He loved to sing and had a gift for making up songs about nearly any topic. He enjoyed traveling with his family, coaching his kids' sports teams, hosting parties and gatherings, teaching children's sermons at church, and leading the adults' church class throughout his life. He was known for his uncanny ability to fix just about anything. Professionally, Jim worked many jobs, including selling suits at JCPenney, painting, working at the paper mill, selling real estate, and many other interesting jobs before he found his calling in mortgage lending, where he was passionate about helping people achieve the dream of homeownership. Prior to retiring, he worked in the reverse mortgage business, where he worked endlessly to keep the elderly in the places they called home. He was a bright light and spent a lot of extra time with these clients to help ease some of the loneliness they experienced.

During retirement, Jim loved to visit with friends, spend time with his kids, serving at Transform Burien, volunteering to provide clothing and warmth to those suffering from homelessness in the greater Seattle area, and always looking to book his next cruise or a trip back to Hawaii. His favorite thing to do was walk along a warm, sandy beach, the ocean lapping at his toes. His family fulfilled his final wish to do this one more time with a Caribbean cruise in November.

Jim fought a long, hard battle with aggressive prostate cancer. He showed tremendous bravery and courage throughout the entire journey without ever complaining. He participated in trials that will advance research to help men who encounter this disease moving forward, and he touched many lives throughout his years of treatment. He befriended folks in the radiation clinic, built friendships with doctors, and continued to ask his hospice nurses about their lives and loved ones who had passed. He offered care, empathy, kindness, and compassion to others throughout his own suffering. He was an incredibly selfless man.

He leaves behind endless people who love him, including the partners of his three children, Athena Koutsonikolas, Derric Montgomery, and Maggie Kellogg. His sisters, Ellen Cavanaugh, Eva Liston, his nephew turned brother, Phil Bevacqua, and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

Jim will be remembered for his faith, kindness, generosity, compassion, humor, and the way he loved fully and without reservation. He lived in service to others, confident he would hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

A Celebration of Life will be held on January 31, 2026, from 12:30 PM to 02:00 PM at Highline Christian Church, 14859 1st Ave S, Burien, WA 98168.

In honor of Jim's love for storytelling, we invite you to leave a comment sharing a memory or specific moment you had with him. Your stories will help us capture and remember all of his greatest attributes.