Julian Bedford "Jim" Booth Jr.

Booth, Julian "Jim" Bedford, Jr.
of Chandler, AZ, much beloved husband, father, brother and grandfather, died from stage IV stomach cancer on November 6, 2016, at the age of 88. Throughout his two months' illness until he died, he enjoyed visits from loving relatives and friends. Born in Hermosa Beach, California, his parents were Julian Bedford Booth, Sr. and Mildred Patton Booth. During the Depression, Jim's father lost his job in California but found other work in Southern Arizona so Jim grew up there, mostly in Tucson. He graduated from Amphitheater High School in 1946 and joined the Navy. Upon his return to Tucson, Jim entered the University of Arizona, joined ROTC and met and married Joan Blanchard. Upon returning to Arizona, after serving in the Air Force as an officer, he entered the University of Arizona for the second time and graduated in 1956 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. His distinguished career in subway design was spent primarily at Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas, a famous New York architectural and engineering firm. While married to Joan Blanchard, they had five children: Sharon, Robert, Mark, James and David. After their divorce, he married Dorothy Evans (Rusty) who added two stepchildren, Nathan and Hilary, to his family. Jim and Rusty had 46 adventurous years together, raising children, flying around the country in their Cessna 172 and, after retirement, enjoying 12 years of full-time RVing. Jim adored socializing, chess, bridge, cruising and being with family and friends. He is survived by his wife, five children, two stepchildren, eleven grandchildren: James, Robert, Christopher, Mykayla, Jamie, Jonathan, Zachary, Brendan, Justina, Whitney and Jessica, and also by his brother, Robert, and twin sisters, Beverly and Barbara. He is loved, mourned and greatly missed. A Celebration of Jim will be held on January 21, 2017, from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., at Noah's Event Venue, 2100 E. Yeager Drive, Chandler, AZ 85286.