James Robert Mundell

James (Jim) Mundell, 87, beloved husband, father, uncle, grandfather, and friend, passed away on Thursday, November 7, 2019, at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, California.

Jim was born on August 6, 1932, in Sacramento, to Remus and Effie Mundell. He was raised in California, the Philippines, and Oregon, before graduating from Oroville High School and then going to Alaska to work on the pipeline with his brother, John Jaime. For a while, the two also lived in San Francisco. Jim was trained by PG&E to climb poles in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the early 1950s, he served in the U.S. Army in Korea, where he was an intelligence specialist and promoted to sergeant. Back in California, Jim went to work for Pacific Telephone in Escondido, where over his 33-year-career he worked in almost every department of the company throughout the state, as well as in Iran and England.

In June 1959, Jim married the love of his life, Rachel Conger, a public school teacher in Escondido. They had two children, Jollene and Lynn. Jim loved his family and the outdoors—whether hunting and fishing with friends and his daughters, boating, or gardening. Some of his favorite places included Baja, Mexico, and the Boundary Waters of Minnesota.

Jim retired from Pacific Bell in Visalia on his 55th birthday and moved with Rachel to Shingletown, where they assisted in building their log home on five acres. He was very involved in helping run a small water company there and volunteering whenever he was needed, including at the town's historical society and its library. Jim embraced this chapter of his life, whether splitting his own wood or bird-watching. After 29 years, Jim and Rachel moved to Redding. Over the past few years, he reveled in seeing his two grandsons grow into men.

Jim was a loyal friend and a hard worker. He was smart and savvy, ethical, generous, and fair-minded. He was larger than life, his family's rock, and known for his sharp mind. He loved everything about baseball—particularly the San Francisco Giants and coaching Pony League—old Western movies, and dogs and cats. He was a wonderful story teller, had a great laugh, gave excellent advice, and grilled a mean steak. He travelled the world with his family and was fascinated by, and deeply respected, other cultures and their people.

Jim is survived by Rachel, his wife of 60 years, brother John Jaime, sister Gail Gleichweit, daughters Jollene and Lynn, son-in-law Clifford Colby, and grandsons Lincoln and Benjamin Colby. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the American Heart Association or the Shingletown Volunteer Library.

Jim's memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, January 3, 2020, at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo. Private interment ceremony to follow.