Matthew David James

Matthew David James died by suicide on July 31, 2025, in Walla Walla, Washington after fighting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Matt will be remembered for his patriotism, his contributions to the U.S. Forest Service, and, most important, his love for his family. Matt's family shares the way he died in the hopes of reducing the stigma associated with mental health and encouraging conversations and compassion for others who are fighting their own battles.

Matthew was born with his twin brother, Joshua, on April 16, 1973, in Flagstaff, Arizona to Peter and Sandy James. Matthew and Joshua, along with their brother Phillip and sisters Laura and Anna, were raised in Arizona. After graduating in 1991, Matthew enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was a Recon Ranger in the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, Reconnaissance Company 6 and served until 1995. After the Marines, Matthew began his 30-year career with the U.S. Forest Service where he found his vocation in forest firefighting. Matthew was a wildland firefighter through and through. He served on an engine, Las Vegas Helitack and Black Mountain Hotshots. He was the Assistant Superintendent of Black Mountain Hotshots, an elite firefighting team, until 2009. He then served as Assistant Fire Management Officer on the Umatilla National Forest, Walla Walla Ranger District until his retirement in 2023. After his official retirement, he continued to work on national incident management teams as Operations Section Chief, Branch Director, and Division Supervisor, among other roles. Matt's colleagues valued and respected him and admired his professionalism and skill. He was the firefighter you wanted to follow, with his keen focus on safety and ability to manage challenging situations.

While firefighting was Matt's vocation, much of his joy was derived from being Emmett, Lincoln, and Sawyer's father. He instilled in them an infinite love of adventure. They spent treasured days outdoors together snowboarding, mountain biking, camping, hunting, and fishing. He taught them the values of hard work, independence, perseverance, and to help one another. His greatest desire was for them to challenge themselves and to think critically about the world. He was so proud of his two older boys attending the same college this fall and was sure great things were in store for Sawyer, too.

Matt is survived by the boys' mother, Laura; sons Emmett, Lincoln, and Sawyer; parents Peter and Sandy James; siblings Phillip, Laura (Travis) Powell, Joshua, and Anna (Bill) Ahrendt; nieces and nephews Tristan and Chyler Powell, Josie James, and Johanna Tomash. He was preceded in death by his Grandparents James, Grandparents Bangert, and Logan Ahrendt.

A celebration of life will be held with the U.S. Forest Service this fall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation https://wffoundation.org or Grassroots Wildland Firefighters https://www.grassrootswildlandfirefighters.com.