Troy James, Sr., 85

Troy James, Sr., 85 of Hayden, Idaho, went to be with the Lord peacefully surrounded by family at the Schneidmiller Hospice House on June 25, 2022.

Troy was born in 1936 in Pauls Valley, Okla., to William and Bertie James. He was one of five siblings.

At 18, he joined the Air Force 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing on the Chambley Air Base in France. He proudly served his country and passed along his respect for the military to his family. As part of the Field Maintenance Squadron, he learned a lot about mechanics and opened a service station in Santa Monica, Calif., shortly after returning stateside.

He always loved cars, and anything on wheels really, but his favorite was always the Corvette. After closing his service station, Troy went into construction working primarily with his family for most of his years before retiring.

Some of his best times were living on a farm in northern California and living on acreage in Idaho. He loved family, children, and animals — even more so, children with animals, going as far as gifting his great-grandchildren with a herd of goats because he fondly remembered how much fun his daughters had with their goats when they were growing up.

After retiring, Troy adopted Yogi, his Jack Russell with whom he shared much of his later life with. Yogi went everywhere with him; they were the best of friends. He loved taking him out on four-wheeler rides exploring Oklahoma and later the great Northwest after returning to Idaho to be closer to his family.

Wherever Troy lived, his neighbors were always like family to him. He truly lived in community with his neighbors, sharing in meals, prayers, and assistance when each other were in need. We are so grateful for the friendships he had with them. Ruth, Chuck, Shar, Rick, Alan, Tonya, and others — he loved you as family.

Troy always said he had only one known allergy: he was “allergic to pain.” We are comforted in knowing that he passed peacefully under the compassionate care at Hospice of North Idaho. In the months before his passing, he was blessed with great care from the team at Reliant Healthcare.

Nothing brought Troy more joy than watching his great-grandchildren play together. He often had tea parties with the girls and listened to their elaborate plays and stories.

Troy is survived by his son Troy (Deborah) James, Jr; daughters, Tiffany (Matt) Wildharber and Trisha (Sean) McClelland; step-daughter, Tawni (John) Germanetti; grandchildren: Sarah, Stephanie, Laura, Andrew, Tory, Jackson, Maureen, Patrick, Katie, Emily, Declan, Tanner and Taylor; great-grandchildren: Alyse, Eli, Jenna, Tucker, Kinsley, Edie, Fae, Lily, Charlie, Emmylou, Isabeau, Eloise, Esme and Everett; and sisters, Geneva Combs of Texas and June (James) Dovell of California; and brother, Billy James of Oklahoma.

He is preceded in death by his parents William and Bertie James and his sister Joyce Neeley.

Private memorial service will be held at a later date. Please visit Troy’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com