Baker City, Oregon
James Robert Kinkead, 82, died Sept. 1, 2004, at his home in Pilot Rock.
A celebration of life memorial will be held at the Community Presbyterian Church in Pilot Rock on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 11 a.m.
Arrangements are in care of Bishop Funeral Chapel in Pendleton.
Jim was born March 10, 1922, at La Grande to George Wesley and Edith (Cowan) Kinkead. Most of his youth was spent in and around Sumpter. He graduated from Baker High School in 1941.
After high school he was in the National Youth Administration, where he was trained in machine and metal fabrication for the war effort. He then moved to Vancouver, Wash., where he worked in the shipyards until joining the U.S. Navy. He served in World War II until 1945. During that time he was stationed in North Africa, Sicily and Normandy.
In 1950 he attended Eastern Oregon University, and later transferred to Oregon State University in Corvallis. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in forest products.
In 1958 he married Barbara Livingston. He was employed at U.S. Gypsum from 1954 to 1986. He served on the Pilot Rock School District board and budget committee for several years. He was an active member of the Community Presbyterian Church.
Jim was named First Citizen of Pilot Rock twice, and named Booster of the Year.
He loved to attend sporting events at the high school, volunteering his time to take tickets and help raise funds for the youth of Pilot Rock.
He was also a life member of the Pendleton Elks B.P.O.E. 288 and the Union Masonic Lodge.
Survivors include his wife, Barbara; sons, Ray Kinkead and his wife, Patti, of Pendleton and James W. and his wife, Kathy, of Pilot Rock; a daughter, Lisa Cate and her husband, Kurt, of Pendleton; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, one brother and his daughter, Carla Dobbs.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Pilot Rock Booster Club or to the Community Presbyterian Church in Pilot Rock.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, September 3, 2004
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor