James Gillespie

1936 - 2020

James Graham Gillespie
01/22/1936 - 07/10/2020
James Graham Gillespie, 84, passed from this earthly life into glory on July 10, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. The son of James D. Gillespie and Bernice I. Graham, he grew up in Redwood City, California, and graduated from Sequoia Union High School in 1954. He went on to the university of Oregon (Go Ducks!), attaining a BS in Political Science/International Relations. He later joined the Army Reserve and served as a staff sergeant for several years. Jim married Janet Brashear in 1958, and they were blessed with two daughters, Jennifer Lee in 1963 and Amanda Kay in 1965. Jim's father was a well-known executive in San Francisco industry, and because of that, Jim went into the insurance business in the California Bay Area. He also worked for IBM, Memorex, Xerox and National Semiconductor. In his working career, he was Vice President of Human resources, as well as Director of HR for many companies. He then went into the consulting side of the business, and formed his own company called Technology Management Group, consulting to Oracle and E-Trade, among others.
Jim moved to Boise in 2005 to be nearer to his two daughters and six grandchildren. He enjoyed attending their sporting events, plays, musicals, and concerts as well as family BBQ's and get-togethers. He was a huge Boise State Football fan, attended when he could and never missed a game on TV. He enjoyed a good party and was never happier than when a holiday arrived. He was an avid hiker and enjoyed first the California mountains and later the Boise foothills. In early 2017, Jim moved to Garden Plaza of Valley View in Boise, enjoying retirement living and his friends there greatly. He returned to his Christian roots during this time, joining All Saints Presbyterian Church in Meridian and professing his faith as he was baptized in 2016 at the age of 80. He truly believed in Jesus' life and resurrection and that he would be in glory with God at the end of his earthly life.
Jim was also a huge animal lover his whole life, and made four-legged friends wherever he went. His beloved cat, Charlie, preceded him in death, but Jim knew Charlie would be waiting for him over the "Rainbow Bridge".
Lastly - "A Farewell to the East End" - Jim's love of animals was encompassed in his daily walks around the neighborhood surrounding his Laurel Park, Boise Apartment. "To my good neighbor, Karen - I loved playing fetch with Lenny, my favorite lab. To my neighbor and good friend, Harriet, and my favorite black cat, Buster. To ShuShu and Sonny - two good dogs. To Sandy and Holly - I know Holly's in heaven, and I'll look for her when I get there. Another dog who has passed on - Luna. I'll look for him, Suzanne, when I get to heaven. Joanie, you could never keep Fern from running back and forth in your yard. To my good friend, Felix a black and white feral cat - I always worried about you in the winter. Two little dogs - Tinker Bell & Dailey. To my neighbor, Josh, and his two great dogs, Jack and Shady. To Richard and Rocky and Sean and Maggie. Let's not forget my favorite sheepdogs, Jack and Bart, and their owner, Rick. My favorite animal was John's dog, Ellie. She always barked when I walked by and came out for a hug. I can never forget Mia, my 135-pound Newfoundland dog friend."
Jim was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his sister, Diane Beauchamp, of Walnut Creek, CA; his daughters Jennie (John) Wilford and Amanda (Steve) Howell of Boise, as well as his six grandchildren, Lauren (Ryan Stevenson) Wilford, Krista (Will Ah Sing) Wilford, Megan (Mitch) Shohet, Eric Wilford, Brody Howell, and Kayla (Ronald) Sorto, and many nephews and nieces. He leaves behind one lifelong best friend and buddy - Wayne Bayliff - of southern California.