James Robert HERBST

HERBST, James (Jim) Robert 75, died December 27, 2017 of complications of Alzheimer's. He was born in 1942 in Detroit Michigan to Virginia Trossell and was later adopted by Frederick Herbst. He received a scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy New York and graduated with a BS degree in physics. His first job was at Leeds and Northrup Co., an electrical measuring instrument company. In 1972 he was recruited by Hewlett Packard and eventually moved his family to the San Francisco Bay Area. Over his 28 year career at HP, he worked in several roles, ending with IT support, database creation and application development. He retired from HP in 2000 and moved to Sonoma. Jim was passionate about many sports and grew up playing ice hockey. He played volleyball into his 50s and was an early adopter of Atari games. Family thanksgivings revolved around Detroit Lion's football games. In 1991 Jim purchased season tickets for the Sharks first season at the Cow Palace. He was a devoted fan for years. Jim enjoyed coaching his daughters' sports teams as they were growing up. As an avid reader all his life, he was passionate about the daily newspaper and many periodicals. Jim was lovingly cared for at Aegis of Napa where he spent the last four years. He participated in daily activities and had a "job" that he could do each day. He will be remembered by his smile and friendly manner. Jim is survived by his wife Maida Herbst, his daughters Julie Bain and Jill Dayton (children Julian, Claire, Audrey, Ethan), his step-son Justin Caughlan (child Stella) and his friend and first wife, Ellen Anderson. Donations in Jim's name may be made to Friends of Sonoma Valley Library where he volunteered for many years. Jim's family and friends will raise a glass in his memory on Sunday, January 28 from 1:00 - 3:00 at the Olde Sonoma Public House in the Siesta shopping center on Hwy 12 and Siesta.