James Pell

James Craig Pell passed away on 9/25/19. He is survived by his wife Lynn, his children Shannon, Jennifer and Craig, and Lynn's daughter Stacey, as well as his grandchildren Danica, Noah, Clare, Blake, Jordan and Madison, his sister MaryRita McKay and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother Mary Viola, father George Parke and his brother George Pell. After serving his country in the Army, our father began a storied career in law enforcement. After serving as a police officer with the Palo Alto, Oakland and Concord Police Depart-ments, in 1974 he was selected as 1 of 14 successful candidates from a pool of over 2,000 to become a Special Agent with the California Department of Justice. Originally assigned to the Fresno Office of the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, "Hawk" worked under-cover for years before becoming the 1st Special Agent Supervisor of the Merced Mariposa County Narcotics Task Force in the mid-80s. Hawk retired from DOJ/BNE in 1996, but that did not end his service to the law enforcement community as he taught for many years at the Advanced Training Center for DOJ's Division of Law Enforcement, in-structing hundreds of agents in law enforcement techniques. He was also a member of the California Narcotics Officers Association. Hawk was a legend and will be greatly missed not only by his immediate family, but by his DOJ and law enforcement families as well. Our father was generous to a fault, always had the latest technology, toys and gadgets, was a voracious reader, and a big pet lover. His family and friends will remember his life and legacy at a gathering to be held 1/18/20. In lieu of flowers, should you wish to remember Hawk, feel free to make a donation in his name to your favorite pet charity.