James Gail Ashcraft

1943 - 2015

December 16, 1943 - November 24, 2015 James G. Ashcraft, 71, passed away peacefully in his home in San Diego surrounded by his family on Tuesday, November 24, 2015. Jim was born to Robert Gail Ashcraft and Alice Jane Laulis Ashcraft at home on Dec. 16, 1943 in Shinnston, W. Va., interrupting his brother's birthday party. Jim is survived by his devoted wife Fran (Widener), of 42 years; son Gregory James (fiancee Michelle Esquivil) of Hillsboro, OR; daughter Kimberly Anne (fiance Warren Krantz) of Phoenix, AZ; brother David Robert Ashcraft (wife Janet Shelton) of Culver City, CA and sister Carolyn Jane Garthwaite (Ashcraft) of Coupeville, WA. He is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. At the age of 13, his family moved to the Sacramento area. He graduated from El Camino High School in 1961 where he played football, basketball and baseball. Jim attended UC Berkeley and graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1966. He was a member of the Cal basketball team where he was elected team captain his senior year. After graduation, Jim served in the U.S. Peace Corps for 2 years in Sicuani, Peru, and obtained a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle following the end of his Peace Corps service. In 1972 Jim moved to San Diego. He became a Professional Civil Engineer in California in 1973 and worked as a consulting engineer designing sewage treatment plants, potable water treatment plants, water recycling facilities and desalination systems. He worked for 40 years at multiple consulting engineering companies including Engineering Science, Lowry & Associates, Miramar Engineering, HYA Consulting Engineers (as a partner in the firm for 13 years), Dames & Moore/URS, Tetra Tech and IEC. Jim was an active member of Lions Club International and the San Diego Mission Lions Club including the Lions in Sight of California. He was also a member of Hardhats Toastmasters. He enjoyed singing and dancing as a member of the Rhythm-Aire Players in Pacific Beach for 12 years. Jim was an active member of the La Jolla Presbyterian Church as a Sunday Greeter and a member of the Facilities Maintenance Committee. A memorial service will be held at the La Jolla Presbyterian Church on January 9, 2016, at 2:00pm. In Lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Lions In Sight of California and Nevada, www.lionsinsight.org or Leukemia And Lymphoma Society, www.lls.org