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JAMES A. HARBOUR

JAMES HARBOUR Obituary

JAMES A. HARBOUR James "Opa" Harbour was born on Feb. 13, 1937 in Denver, CO, and passed away in his home in Winthrop, WA, surrounded by a loving family on Friday, Dec. 2nd. Jim was known as a man of faith who loved Jesus, his family, and the outdoors. He is survived by wife, Carole; sister, Jessie (David); daughter, Laurie (Dave); son, Jim (Rebecca); and grandchildren Erin, Kindra (Brandon), Jesse, Ryan, Jessica (Adam), Kristie and great grandsons Parker and Jackson. He will be missed by his family and friends. A memorial service will be held at the Community Covenant Church in Twisp, WA on Saturday, Dec. 10th, at 2:00 PM. Memorial gifts may be directed to Agros, an organization dedicated to ending poverty, with a web address of agros.org.

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Published by Tri-City Herald on Dec. 7, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for JAMES HARBOUR

25 Entries

JustSomeone

January 6, 2023

One of my two best teachers in high school. Excellent human and I'll never forget him.

C O

March 18, 2019

Best Father in Law I had ever had...period! Funny enough they say when you marry one's daughter that you marry her entire family. I actually looked forward to that privilege with this family. Jim at first kept me at a arms length when I met him and I can understand since I had a interest for his daughter at the time. He asked me early on why I loved his daughter and even though I was so young and dumb in life up to that point and clueless it struck me this was a man of love and virtue and was a protector. Simply put wish I would have been more responsible and mature to understand what this man was trying to mold me into....I got there but to way to late. Last time I saw Jim it was at my daughters wedding and tried to show him with my actions and eyes that I loved him and appreciated what he tried in vain to teach me in becoming a real respected man and giving back to others and loving out of sheer kindness without anything in return or an agenda. He was a great man and yes had a wonderful wife Carol and family to support him back. Rest in peace Jim and I'm sure in heaven has snow he will be telemarking with El Shaddai till the cows come home or whatever they have up there...thank you Jim and love you....I get it and now I have peace because of you.

Will Marron

December 18, 2016

Hi Carole, Jim, Laurie and Harbour family. I am sorry for your loss. I really liked, respected and appreciated "Mr. Harbour". Not coming from a Christian family, I valued his advice. I remember when he and your mom dropped us off to start hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail he talked through Psalm 121 with us. I was blessed to do things with your family as well.

Peter Berry

December 11, 2016

Great teacher, and a great person. Thoughts and prayers to his family.

Melinda Boonstra

December 10, 2016

My husband Tim and I had the great pleasure of knowing Jim the last 4 years of his life. He exuded love and kindness to everyone. I will always remember his kind eyes, hug and smile as he handed out the bulletins at church faithfully. When he would share his wisdom and thoughtfulness before communion it made everyone pause and reflect in a way I haven't seen many other people be able to do. He will be missed. Carole and family, we are playing for peace that surpasses all understanding that can only come through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Cyndy Oliver

December 10, 2016

Jim ,You will be truly missed here but lots of people will be glad to see you in heaven. You and Carole have been such great friends! Loving , caring,and always a great sense of humor. We have learned so much from you but most of all you have been a loving friend. A man like you doesn't come often . Thanks for touching the lives of our family. Jerry, Cyndy, Ian, Dylan and Derek Oliver

Kim DeVilleneuve Markillie

December 10, 2016

Mr. Harbour was an amazing teacher and made a huge impact on my life. But he was more than just our AP Biology teacher, his heart was driven by a love for Christ and the desire to share him with us in Young Life. He challenged us to be better students, but also better people. His love of science spurred in me the desire to study environmental science and to make a difference. And if that wasn't enough, he shared his passion for cross country skiing by spending his Saturday's with us at Bluewood teaching us the basics and making jumps that we would take after telemarking downhill. I think of you all often Harbour family, and I'm thankful that Mr. Harbours faith, spawned in his son Jim the desire to serve Christ and be our youth group pastor at West Side, another blessing in my life. I pray that this time can be a celebration of life, comforted by the knowledge that Mr. Harbour has left a legacy of love that we will all cherish.

Monica Bernhard

December 9, 2016

Jim was a warm gentle man who lived his faith daily. He had a wonderful way of making people feel loved and valued. He was always good for a hug and a prayer. A true man of integrity. He will be missed, but, will leave a forever mark on my life. May Carol and family find peace and mercy for their broken hearts.

Bethany Du Toit (Meyers)

December 9, 2016

Mr. Harbor helped me, like so many others. He took an interest in me and rolemodled the kind of adult I hoped to become. It was an honor to be his TA and I cherish the conversations we had, when I needed a sounding board most. My deepest condolences to Jim's family. I hope the memories of his kind loving eyes and warm hugs along with sharing his hilarious stories will act as a balm to your heartache. Thank you, Mr. Harbor, I miss you & will never forget you, or the Range Cow.

Earl Arthur

December 9, 2016

One of my top TWO favorite teachers at Richland High School. Who else could make Biology as interesting as this man. I despised school, but weirdly looked forward to 3rd period to be in front of this great teacher. Adult hindsight says this was a GREAT MAN...

Katie Suderno

December 9, 2016

Mr. Harbour was an amazing teacher and made an incredible impact on my life. He not only made biology fun, he took time for each student on an individual basis and made them know that they mattered. He invested in me and shared his love for Jesus in our Young Life group which changed my life. Mr. Harbour helped me to strive to be a better person in all aspects of my life and I thank God for him and pray that this time will be a celebration of life for his family.

Andrea Rediske

December 9, 2016

Mr. Harbour was an inspiration to so many students, and I will credit him with encouraging me to pursue my Bachelor and Master's degrees in microbiology and my PhD in science education. In a field where women are often discouraged, I never knew anything but encouragement and support from him in AP Biology and Inquiry into Science at Richland High School. Thank you, Mr. Harbour, for all that you've done for me and thousands of other students who were privileged to sit in your classroom.

Kim Gulley

December 9, 2016

One of my favorite teachers at Col-hi.

Harley Cowan

December 8, 2016

I was literally talking with a classmate about Mr. Harbour a few weeks ago. As students, we were very lucky to experience the camaraderie, humor, and personalities within the Richland High science department: Fankhauser, Harbour, Thrasher, Potter, and True. Mr. Harbour was a wonderful teacher, mentor, and friend to me and to so many of us. I hope that my kids have a teacher who cares about them like Jim cared for us. I'm sad to hear about his passing. And so, so happy to have had the good fortune of knowing him.

Jim Gannon

December 8, 2016

Mr Harbour,

Friend, mentor and teacher! Great memories of AP Bio at RHS, Young Life Club and Cross-Country Ski Lessons at White Pass. Thanks Gentle Servant!

Jenny (Smart) Page

December 8, 2016

Mr. Harbour was an incredible teacher, without a doubt. But the greatest impact he had on my life came through the conversations we had about Christ. He helped shape my young faith, which eventually led me into ministry. I have thought of him frequently over the years, and give thanks to God for having known him. I pray for the Lord's comfort and peace during this difficult time.

Loren Erickson

December 8, 2016

Mr. Harbour was my all-time favorite teacher at RHS because he poured himself into each and every student with his infectious enthusiasm for science. Students mattered to him, and it was the personal growth that mattered most. I took Mr. Harbour's AP Biology course my senior year and participated in the Inquiry into Science Program that provided internships for students at local government contracting agencies, such as Westinghouse Hanford. This program is unprecedented and it steered my path to the career that I have today. I can't express enough how much I appreciate Mr. Harbour for starting this program that was experiential for students - getting our hands on real-life science! I remember in class Mr. Harbour challenging our engineering and critical thinking skills with a team project where we had to design and build bridges out of straws, and then test how much weight they could withstand before breaking. My bridge didn't last 2 seconds! We dissected weird creatures found in the Yakima river that made me re-think whether I wanted to float the river anymore for fear of encountering one of these. Mr. Harbour assigned us a technical writing project that was read and critiqued by external scientists. Again, all of these experiences are what we do in the real world that has sadly gone by the wayside today. My internship at Westinghouse required a physical screening that identified an unknown tumor on my lung. This led me to wonder why my body didn't reject it, which led to my research interest in the immune system. This led me to graduate studies in Immunology, a postdoc, and now faculty at University of Virginia where I direct a biomedical research laboratory that studies how the immune system fails to function properly, leading to cancer and autoimmune diseases. I owe a great deal to Mr. Harbour for investing in me and making me believe that I could do great things. Thanks be to Christ for blessing me and this world with Mr. Harbour who led his life with a God-given purpose.

December 8, 2016

Your dad made such a marvelous positive impact on so many as a caring and enthusiastic teacher. I remember when a small group of us had interest in taxidermy. He took it on and made sure we had all the resources needed, frozen critters and all. He really went the extra mile.
Del (Madel) Greger

December 8, 2016

Every day I drive into the staff parking lot at Richland High School I am reminded at how grateful I was to have had Mr. Harbour as my AP Bio teacher. His legacy lives on in my own classroom everyday.
Mike Neidhold

Lynn-Marie Hatcher Peashka

December 7, 2016

So many people will say "what a great teacher!" - & he was. The remarkable thing was that he was individually great, one-on-one, to each student who needed him. A true inspiration & blessing for so many -- one student at a time.

Kathy Hodgson Lucas

December 7, 2016

The teacher who had the biggest impact and provided the fondest memory. Rest In Peace, prayers for your family.

JP Panesko

December 7, 2016

Mr. Harbour was one of the most impactful teachers in my entire life. I took Advanced Biology from him at Richland High School in the early 1980s. He gave out his home phone number to each class (and I still remember it to this day). He really cared about people and touched so many lives! My prayers and condolences to the family.

December 7, 2016

Best Biology teacher ever! Still laughing about the raisins in soda water.

Treg Owings

December 7, 2016

He was also one of my favorite teachers. He made learning fun.

December 7, 2016

One of my favorite teachers of all time. Yvonne Ling Deshayes

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