James Arthur McCann

James Arthur "Jim" McCann was born to Florian and Virginia McCann on March 6, 1932, in Williston, ND. He was delivered by Dr. Jack Craven who could not possibly have anticipated that he would become Jim's father-in-law 25 years later!

Jim was raised on the McCann ranch near Culbertson, MT and attended high school as a boarding student at St. Thomas Military Academy in St. Paul, MN. He graduated in 1950 and, after two years at College of St. Thomas, his education was interrupted by the U. S. Air Force. He trained at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, then served in Berlin, Germany as an intelligence specialist fluent in Russian and German.

Shortly after his return from Germany in 1956, Jim met Janice Marie Craven. They courted for a year as students in St. Paul, then married in Williston on August 17, 1957. They moved to Washington, DC where Jan taught fourth grade and Jim worked at the U.S. Capitol under the patronage of Senator Mansfield, first as an elevator operator and then on the police force. Jim and Jan relocated to Montana in 1962 and settled in Wolf Point. Jim studied the law as an apprentice with the County Attorney, then began his own law practice after passing the bar exam in 1965. He served as Roosevelt County Attorney from 1969 until he retired in 1989. Within a year, Jim and Jan gleefully escaped eastern Montana's bitter winters to live out their retirement in Tucson, AZ.

Jim remained witty, engaged and occasionally grumpy until his final day. He lived his last four years in the comfort of The Fountains at La Cholla, a retirement community in Tucson, and passed away quite suddenly on July 25, 2025. He is survived by daughter Mary (Joe), sons Kevin (Celeste) and Jamie (Ann Marie), and grandsons Noel, Clay and Zachery. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Jan, son John, and cherished canine companions Skory and Molly.

At Jim's request there will be no service. Jim and Jan are memorialized with a bench on the South Loop Trail at Tohono Chul Gardens in Tucson.