James Thompson

James J. Thompson

October 18, 1982 - December 2, 2024

Our much-loved Jimmy was born into difficult circumstances. He was determined to not let his origins define him and clawed every day towards his own definition of success. He embodied his personal motto of "Love Life" and squeezed every drop from it. He passed after a short, but hard-fought battle with cancer, surrounded by the siblings he found, the family he chose, and the friends he collected. They say you can pick your friends, not your family, but James chose both and held on to them with both hands.

James was a life-long resident of Merced and attended Merced High School. There, he played football, enjoyed weightlifting, immersed himself in computer programming classes, and was a proud multi-instrumental member of the Marching 100. At age 17, he attended bootcamp and became a United States Marine. He served as an Engineer Equipment Operator with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines and was stationed in San Diego, CA, Okinawa, Japan, and was present when the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was honorably discharged from the military in 2004 with the rank of Corporal and possessed the Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and the Expert Rifle Badge.

James returned to Merced and, over the next few years, worked as a bouncer at La Hacienda 2 and with Merced County Juvenile Detention before becoming everyone's go-to IT and computer guy at Madera Unified School District, Modesto City Schools, and finally, the Merced County Courts. During the COVID-19 pandemic he offered his services free-of-charge to the community as we all struggled to navigate the new normal of technology-heavy remote work.

ADHD, a reliable internet connection, and a voracious appetite for books and knowledge in general gave him an expansive vocabulary and put him at near expert level on a vast number of topics. He became a trivia god and was even able to correctly answer game show questions as he floated in and out of coherence in his last days.

It was unacceptable to say you had nothing to do between the hours of 9pm and 6am on Friday and Saturday nights. James was sure to be awake, a wildly diverse and carefully curated playlist blaring, with any number of people in his home. His back yard was in a constant state of improvement for no other reason than to be the place where people went to have a great time together and provide an excuse for him to cook for everyone. If he was not home, he was at a concert or music festival, a game, camping (but definitely not hiking), or traveling to Tahoe or, the city that had his heart, San Diego. Many of his travels included breweries, craft beers, and seeking out his favorite tattoo artists. James was a connoisseur of beer and tattoos as evidenced by the "I heart beer" tattoo prominently placed on his foot, but hardly noticeable amongst all of the other ink that he was determined would one day cover him from the collar bone down.

To say music was a part of his life would be a grave understatement. He was a man possessed when it came to seeing his favorite bands, performers, composers, conductors, and venues. He would wax poetic about the virtues of a small venue, go on and on about the science that went into engineering the hall where the Denver Symphony plays, and loved sharing the history, backgrounds, and personal experiences of the artists that influenced the songs most meaningful to him. Were you with him the first or the seventh time he saw Deftones? Tell us again about that epic night with Sevendust! Who was his favorite again? It was Korn, but you could easily mistake it for Chris Cornell, Freddy Mercury, Flogging Molly, Foo Fighters, Tool... the list went on and on.

Sports in general were one of his great loves. At any time of year, he was watching the San Francisco 49ers, the San Jose Sharks, USC Football, or maybe he was watching F1 racing with his dad. James had been a die-hard fan since his love of the San Francisco Giants was cemented in the late 80's watching Will "The Thrill" Clark, and he would nonchalantly tell the story of how he was allowed to drive alone and unsupervised at 15-years-old to games in the city. The man put his eyes towards spring training and lived for October.

It was impossible to ever know all the sides of James. He was a social chameleon, and his wide range of interests meant that he was able to connect with anyone. He disliked children, but took great pride in being an uncle, had a very giving heart, cared for people in the most unexpected ways and was a fierce protector of women (especially at concerts). He was known for his ability to destroy a plate of deviled eggs, sweaty hugs, dark humor, and as a sh*t posting meme lord, but also a giant, nerdy, sports-, food- and music-obsessed, party animal who would regularly get pedicures with his mom. He was easily the most social anti-social person you ever met, a scathingly honest person, and a truly charming a**hole.

James leaves behind his birth-siblings whom he was profoundly grateful to have built connections with, Shannon Pettitt, Christopher Acuna-Standish, Stephen Gongaware, and Julian Mancebo, his chosen parents, John and Jena Libecki, and his brothers and sister from another mother, Doug and Brenda Libecki, Jeremiah Johnston, James Sese, and James Blaylock.

James' ashes will be turned over to the United States Marine Corps in San Diego for burial at sea. A gathering of friends and family to honor his life will be held on February 8, 2025 at the Merced Elks Lodge from 4-10pm.