James Newell Lamhofer

1928 - 2022

September 9, 1928 - January 14, 2022 James Newell Lamhofer, passed away peacefully at his home in Long Beach. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Thora Gibson Lamhofer, and their two children, Eric Lamhofer (Michele) of Orange, CA and Linda Lamhofer Davis (Paul) of New Berlin, WI, as well as grandchildren Ashley and Brianna Lamhofer, and Garrett and Lauren Davis. Other surviving relatives include his brother-in-law Maurice Gibson (Mary Louise) of El Paso, TX and beloved relatives in Texas, New Mexico, England and Northern Ireland. Jim grew up in Orange County, and graduated from Fullerton High School in 1946 and University of Southern California with a BA in Journalism in 1950. He wrote for the Daily Trojan during the time of famous sportswriter Mal Florence's reign. After graduation, at the end of the Korean War, Jim served in the US Airforce for 2 years, at Hamilton Airforce Base in Northern California. Jim had a successful career in the newspaper advertising industry, working for the Clovis News Journal in New Mexico, the Santa Ana Register, the Herald American and even the Long Beach Press Telegram for nearly 20 years before his final position with the newspaper advertising firm Sawyer Ferguson and Walker in Los Angeles. Following his retirement in 1990, Jim and Thora enjoyed international and domestic travel, including trips to see his wife Thora's relatives in England and Northern Ireland. Jim was a huge college and professional sports fan, particularly USC Football. He was a longtime Rams season ticketholder when the Rams played at the Coliseum. He also was a huge Angels baseball fan, and a particular highlight for him was a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York to celebrate his 80th birthday with his son and son-in-law. He loved being a part of the Long Beach Rotary Club, his Long Beach running group, and volunteering with the Long Beach Marathon and Long Beach Meals on Wheels. Over the years, Jim loved spending time with family and "colorful" good friends. Favorite days were those spent at Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos Bay, and Oceanside where his family loved to vacation when his children were growing up. He and Thora have enjoyed their friendly La Linda Drive/Los Cerritos neighbors for over 42 years. He never met a dog he didnt love. He and Thora were past docents of the Long Beach Humane Society and owned numerous "rescue" spaniels and golden labs over the years. The family would like to thank Jim's longtime personal caregiver Irma Plascencia, Dr. Steven Lake, and Long Beach Memorial Hospital.