James Dennis "Jim" Leman

James “Jim” Dennis Leman passed away on March 4, 2026, after a long and full life marked by curiosity, service, hard work, and joy. Born on August 20, 1934, in Douglas, Wyoming, he grew up on the family ranch settled by his grandfather in the 1870s. He attended a one-room country school and, during high school, lived with his grandmother in town through the winter months. Following graduation, he briefly attended college before enlisting in the United States Army, where he was stationed in Germany. During his service he traveled to London to retrieve precious family documents dating back to the 1700s, preserving generations of family history.

After his military service, Jim earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wyoming. While in college he married Lois Vroman, also of Douglas, who was drawn to his sense of humor and love of dancing. His engineering career began at Argonne National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, at the Experimental Breeder Reactor, the first in the world to produce usable electricity. He and Lois spent twenty years there raising their three daughters, Pamela, Patricia, and Melissa, on an acreage where they gardened, raised Appaloosa horses, and enjoyed family life filled with golf, bridge, bowling, camping, and lapidary pursuits.

Later career moves took the family to Butte, Montana, where Jim worked at the nation’s only experimental magnetohydrodynamics plant, and then to Monroe, Michigan, where he helped bring a nuclear plant online. He retired in 1989 and devoted the next two decades to family and exploration. Winters were spent in Arizona and Borrego Springs, California, where he supported aging parents, rode ATVs, hunted rocks, square danced, and volunteered with a paleontology group—attending classes, curating fossils, and joining field expeditions that became some of his most cherished experiences. Summers revolved around grandchildren, coastal trips, and gardening. In Boise, Idaho, and Richland, Washington, he transformed bare lots into thriving gardens of fruit and nut trees, flowers, and vegetables. He and Lois completed the Master Gardener program, became active members of Cathedral of Joy church, and served through its Silver Eagles group. For many years Jim tended the church grounds, and many remarked that the roses had never looked so beautiful.

In 2010 Jim was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He and Lois moved to Vancouver, Washington, to be near family and access specialized care. Despite the diagnosis, he remained active, attending exercise classes and enjoying cruises, including a memorable Alaska voyage with thirty-eight family members. The couple endured the heartbreaking loss of their youngest daughter, Melissa, to cancer in 2019. In 2022 they moved to Tyler, Texas, and Meadow Lake Senior Living to be close to family. Even after transitioning to assisted living, Jim continued to garden, sharing tomatoes, chives, radishes, onions, and okra with fellow residents. Confined to a wheelchair in his final years, he still joined family gatherings and fishing outings at the lake with the devoted help of his daughters and the use of a golf cart. A longtime Seahawks fan, he took special delight in watching his team win the Super Bowl in his final year.

Jim is survived by his wife of 68 years, Lois; his sister Dorothy Taylor; daughters Pamela Leman and Tricia (Steve) Bump; son-in-law Kevin Wright; eight grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter Melissa Wright, his parents James M. and Lois A. Leman, and his sister Barbara Werner. Through every chapter of his life, Jim’s sense of humor, love of dancing, curiosity, kindness, and steady presence remained constant, leaving a warm and enduring legacy for all who knew him.