Jim Jayo

1946 - 2022

Jim Jayo

March 9, 1946 - March 26, 2022

YULEE, FL - Jim Jayo, 76, of Yulee, Florida, died on March 26, 2022.

Born in Elko, Nevada, in 1946 to Frank and Mary (Ispizua) Jayo, he grew up in Elko, serving as an altar boy for St. Joseph's Catholic Church and spending several years of his childhood in his mother's native Spain. He graduated from Elko High School in 1964 and, moving to California, earned his BS in mechanical engineering from Santa Clara University in 1968. After graduation, he joined the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California, where he helped build nuclear submarines before moving to General Electric Nuclear Energy in San Jose.

In 1974, he married Linda DuMond of Tacoma, Washington, and in 1977 they moved from San Jose to Requena, Spain. They had one child, James Jayo, and divorced in 1985.

Jim Jayo continued working for GE Nuclear, building and refueling nuclear power plants, which took him to el Farallón (Veracruaz) Mexico; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Cornelius, North Carolina. In 1992, he married Diana Basurto Rodriguez of Veracruz, Mexico. He retired from GE Nuclear in 2006 and moved to Fernandina Beach, Florida, in 2011.

His passions included Basque culture, collectible coins, winemaking, Spanish galleons, and the San Francisco '49ers.

He is survived by his son, James Jayo of New York City; his widow, Diana Jayo, and their daughter, Diana Jayo, both of Yulee, Florida; his niece, Marie Rose of Ely, England; and his nephew, Marcus Hess of Worcester, Massachusetts. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Marilyn Jayo Hess.

A funeral mass will take place at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 21, 2022, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Elko, followed by the entombment and blessing at Burns Funeral Home and Memorial Garden and then a luncheon, starting at 1:00 PM at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, courtesy of the Women of St. Joseph.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made in his name to the American Heart Association or in his name in memory of his sister, Marilyn Jayo Hess, to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.