James Gilder

1925 - 2021

James Gilder

March 8, 1925 - April 10, 2021

James Gilder passed away on April 10, 2021, in Arroyo Grande, California, at the age of 96. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 11, 2021, at the Santa Maria Cemetery, 1501 S. College Drive. A Memorial Service will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at the Santa Maria Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1775 S. Thornburg Street.

James was born on March 8, 1925, in DeRidder, LA, to Evelyn Gilder. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942 and was Honorably Discharged in 1945. He met and married his wife, Dolores, in Los Angeles, CA. In 1959, James moved his family to Nipomo, CA. James worked as a cement finisher at Vandenberg Air Force Base before following his entrepreneurial dream. He offered gardening and janitorial services in Santa Maria and Nipomo area for many years before retiring in 1993. James was a spiritual man and a member of the Santa Maria Seventh Day Adventist Church for sixty-two years. He enjoyed the outdoors, travelling, held a lifelong fascination with trains, and was an avid basketball fan; he loved the Los Angeles Lakers. James was a Charter Member of the NAACP San Luis Obispo County Branch.

James was a loving and devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend. He is survived by his four children, Roxanne Perez, Kenneth Gilder, Cheryl Vines and her husband Stephen of Nipomo, CA, Lauren Robinson and her husband John of San Bernardino, CA, four grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and his sister Gardis Holmes of Los Angeles, CA.