James "Jim" Croft Jr.

Jim was blessed to have been married to two wonderful women; Darlene "DJ" Klahn, and Betty Lou Babnick. He married DJ twice, once when they were young, and later they enjoyed their twilight years together. Jim and DJ shared a son, James, from their first marriage together. Jim later married Betty, and was married for 36 years, and adopted her son, Ronald. Jim had a step-son, Lafe, by a previous marriage of Darlene's.
DJ passed on a few short months before Jim, surrounded by Jim and James and James' wife, Pam. And Jim passed on just a few months after Darlene, again, surrounded by family.
Jim was born in 1927, as what at one time might be called a "Depression Baby." He and his Family, James Sr. and Louise, did what needed to be done in those tough times. Jim learned how to work with tools at a very young age by apprenticing with what Family Lore knows as The Gold Brothers. Jim was their runner for customers needs during the latter years of the Depression, and he learned through watching items being made in sometimes rugged fashion, how to be creative and make things work in tough times. One of his best memories of that period was delivering orders to customers for the Gold Brothers and getting a chicken from the customer to bring home to his Mom.
His Dad was a carpenter and he taught Jim the arts of putting things together. His Mom, born in Austria, had a gift for the culinary, and the family ran a small restaurant in Cleveland. At the worst of the Depression Jim's father took to moonshining. He did his time when it was revealed, and Jim developed a unique way of telling the story with humor and fact, of the time his Dad was away from there, from a sort of 'human experience on earth' perspective. The letters home from his Dad at that time revealed much of the pre-war situation that gives pause now on these times.
He always shared good memories of those times, of playing schoolyard ball, or ice skating on frozen ponds, swimming in lakes and rivers.
Later on these meager beginnings during the Depression fueled the success he experienced in life. One of his famous sayings was that "I never worked a day in my life." His work fulfilled him, and brought much good, and he brought much good to others through his work.
A family, the Peregrin's, lived next door to Jim and his folks, and close by was another family; the Carroll's. Helen Peregrin married Charles Carroll. The Carroll's son Charles Jr. married Jim's sister LeeNora, thus forming a lifetime link to Jim and the girl he never forgot, Darlene "DJ" Klahn, a young woman from the rainforest of Forks Washington. Jim showed up at the Peregrin's door one day after his sister LeeNora told him about a young lady visiting Helen. Helen had a brother, Frank, who had been stationed at the Naval Base near Forks, and he had married DJ's sister Lois. This connection across the country, with ties and celebrations and sorrows to share, has lasted beyond the lifetimes of all.
Jim, in his own words, was quite smitten by DJ. They shared a love of airplanes, and DJ later acquired her pilot's license. Flying was the best thing to get Jim feeling alive, and he knew he had found a kindred spirit in this love of aviation. During his time in the Navy he had flown several airplanes, and had caught the fever for flight then. They would go to the local airport and watch planes taking off and landing for hours. And the family ties made a home for both of them as well.
Jim and DJ moved out to the Pacific Northwest to marry, with Jim taking time to build the first Catholic Church in Forks, with skills he had learned from his years with his carpenter Dad, and the apprenticeship during the Depression with the Gold Brothers. Although the marriage did not last for these young people, it was a happy day for them, and it brought many good memories for all. After their wedding they moved to Puyallup as Jim began his new career with Puget Energy.
There in Puyallup Jim began a long career of working with electrical power companies, eventually becoming the Sales Manager for Puget Sound Energy, where he was employed for 38 years. He rose through the ranks of PSE, helped in the planning, and the selling of energy, of dams and power in the State of Washington and surrounding areas, and he was very good at his job. He had graduated from college with a degree in Physics and general engineering, and these studies helped in the selling of electrical power in the State, as he was able to give practical understanding to the processes of new procedures. He traveled widely throughout the States in his capacity as General Sales Manager. During this time he involved himself in many civic and social organizations, finding meaningful interactions with his community.
Jim is deeply missed, and he leaves a lasting legacy in the Pacific Northwest, as well as Love in the hearts of many for him, including his niece and nephew, Diana and Mark Schildnecht.
Curnow Funeral Home & Cremation Service - Sumner