James Pease

1937 - 2020

Dr. James (Jim) Robert Pease

June 5, 1937 – August 15, 2020

On August 15, 2020, Dr. James (Jim) Robert Pease of Bend, Oregon, passed away at the age of 83 after battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

James was born on June 5, 1937 in Halifax, Vermont to Jessie (née Dean) and Merle Pease, and was the middle of three children. He graduated from Turners Falls High School, where he was class vice president, president of the French Club, and played football, receiving injuries resulting in his famously crooked nose. James received his BA in History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass) in 1960, and taught high school English in Granby, Massachusetts and Brattleboro, Vermont. He married Jean Wersetsky (Christie) in 1964, and they had a daughter, Laura, in 1967. He later returned to UMass and obtained an MS and then a PhD in Resource Planning in 1970 and 1972, respectively. James and his family moved to Corvallis Oregon in 1972, as James had received a faculty position at Oregon State University (OSU). James and Jean divorced in 1979, and he subsequently married Patricia (née James) in 1981, and had a second daughter, Jocelyn, in 1982.

James spent 25 years at OSU and achieved the rank of tenured professor in the Geosciences Department, where he taught graduate-level courses in land use planning and natural resource management, with a particular focus on land use planning for agricultural and timber lands, and environmental impact analytical methodology. Through the OSU Extension program, he facilitated the implementation of Oregon's Statewide Planning Goals and assisted in developing some of the first county comprehensive plans in Oregon. He sought and received numerous research grants, pursued research during sabbatical leaves in Central America, Spain, and Mexico, and directed numerous students in their graduate research. He was passionate about working with his graduate students, with whom he developed many warm and lasting relationships, and counted many among his closest friends for years afterwards. After taking early retirement in 1997 following a year-long battle with colon cancer, he and Patricia fulfilled a life-long dream and embarked on a sailing adventure to Mexico.

James and Patricia later moved to Bend Oregon in 2001, where James could be more fully dedicated to his recreational pursuits and living life to the fullest. He was an avid outdoor recreation enthusiast, and enjoyed sailing, skiing, kayaking, camping, fishing, and bow hunting. In more recent years, he focused his energies on upland bird hunting throughout the country with his German Wirehaired Pointers, as well as training and breeding many litters of acclaimed puppies. James' dogs were outstanding in the field, and he received national recognition for his dogs' breeding and skills.

James was known for his wry sense of humor, progressive politics, and penchant for telling long stories, to both friends and strangers alike. He will be dearly missed.

James is survived by his wife, Patricia, his daughters, Laura Christie and Jocelyn Pease, his son-in-law, Trevor Corry, his grandchildren, Evelyn Corry and Theodore Corry, and his sisters, Erma York and Shirley Martin, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.