James Eugene Gregg

James Eugene Gregg was born December 23, 1921 in Detroit Michigan. He was the only child of Kenneth and Ora Gregg. He left Detroit at the age of 6 weeks and started his world travels.
He has been in all the states and lived in many of them. He attended 36 different grade schools. At the early age of 15 he left home to join the CCC. At the age of 17 he followed his life long dream of sailing the seas. He first joined the Merchant Marines on a Norwegian ship because he was too young to sail for the United States. He soon fulfilled his goal by sailing on American ships. During World War II he shipped in both the Pacific and Altlantic Theater of Operation.
During a leave in 1945 he met the love of his life at a roller skating rink in Indianapolis, Indiana. He proposed to Rachel Royse the next day. She said he knew a good thing when he saw it and said he had nothing else to do. they were married on June 30, 1946. They had 63 years and 10 months of happiness. They started their married life in San Francisco. They had two children. Susan Jane was born in 1951 and James K. was born in 1955. They adopted Hi Suk Dong in 1964. After sixteen years of shipping he worked as a plumber and electrician for a large apartment complex in San Francisco. In 1974 they moved to Redding, CA. They bought a mobile home park in town. During this time they were semi-retired and traveled all over the world. They have traveled to 39 different countries.
He is survived by his daughter Susan Magrini of Redding, James K. Gregg of Seattle, his grand children are Eric Magrini, Scott Magrini and Rebecca Gafner of Redding, CA and Benjamin and Logan Gregg of Seattle, WA. He has nine great grandchildren. He was a loving husband and a devoted father and family man. there are many children in Redding who knew him as the "Candy Man" because he loved children and always carried candy in his pockets for them. He will be missed and not forgotten.
Funeral Service will be Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 1 p.m. at McDonald's Chapel.