James Peter (Jim) Jorgensen
January 29, 1940 – June 8, 2023
James Peter (Jim) Jorgensen passed away on June 8, 2023, at the age of 83. Jim was born on January 29, 1940, in Spokane, WA, to Folmer Christopher and Esther Margaret Thorpe Jorgensen. There, he and his older brother Ron engaged in many shenanigans with their dog Blackie, and his dad introduced him to the art of fishing and hunting, a source of lifelong joy. The family moved to Enumclaw, WA, when Jim was a teen, and at Enumclaw High School, Jim was a standout athlete, playing football, basketball, and tennis. Jim’s path took him to Western Washington State College (now WWU), where highlights included playing at nationals with the golf team and graduating with a degree in education. But the life-changing event at Western was meeting his wife, Patricia. Boy could they jitterbug! Together over 60 years, they spent their entire married life in Whatcom County, moving to Blaine in 1963 for Jim’s first teaching job. Their love shone bright and Patricia made his heart sing until the very end.
Although various health issues challenged Jim in his last years, he faced them with courage and never lost the twinkle in his eye and his sense of humor. He was always looking to pull your leg and never let you forget when he did. Laughter always filled the room when Jim was around.
Two threads ran throughout Jim’s life—a love of people and the outdoors. Much to his children’s chagrin, he would approach anyone, anywhere, for a chat, especially if it looked as if they had been fishing. He was quick with a smile and had a real gift for seeing the person in front of him and cherishing each new connection. Bonus points if you happened to have cookies or a fishing report to share!
Jim was a beloved teacher who touched thousands of lives over his 30-year career with the Blaine School District. He believed that the best learning happened outside the classroom, and with his handy teaching assistant, Stickman, imparted learning to last a lifetime. He taught earth science to generations of Blaine High School 9th graders and was crazy enough to take them all on a 3-day field trip to eastern Washington. Even non-science lovers came back with a new appreciation of columnar joints, erratics, and diatomaceous earth, and no one forgot the infamous “snipe hunt” after evening campfire. Years later, parents of his students clamored for a field trip of their own, and so the AGE trip was born, packed with the same fun learning but with the luxury of cabins instead of tents. He felt so lucky to teach what he loved and had an amazing way of bringing it to life. He spent evenings watching stars through the telescope with his students of astronomy, took field trips that included a look into the Mount St. Helens crater with those lucky enough to take geology, led Drayton Harbor bird identification walks for students of ornithology, and taught an outdoor education class that was like no other, including collaboration with Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association to build a salmon hatchery on Dakota Creek.
No doubt he caught a few of those salmon they helped hatch, as his second retirement came after 40 years as the owner/operator of Jim’s Salmon Charter, which he operated in the summers out of the Blaine marina. Over the years he could count on one hand the number of times he was skunked, and it should be noted he wasn’t the best of company when a big one got away! So many fish stories, but as a golfer, perhaps his most memorable trip was with Arnold Palmer, who caught a 27-pound King on Jim’s boat in 1987. Around that time, Jim started his “salmonar” classes to pass on his knowledge of the Wiley Salmon to local fisherman. While they were grateful, probably the salmon were not.
Jim’s third retirement came in 2015 after serving 12 years as a commissioner for the Port of Bellingham. His contribution to the community was recognized by the Port in 2016, when they renamed Jorgensen Pier in his honor. Jim loved working with others to make Blaine the best place it could be. Two of his proudest achievements were spearheading the committee that brought the Blaine Marine Park to life in 1987 and being a founding member of the Wings Over Water birding festival, an annual event held in Blaine since 2003.
Jim is survived by his wife, Patricia; daughter MaryAnne Jorgensen (Tatsuya Haraikawa); son Chris Jorgensen (Whitney); and grandchildren Annika and Daniel Haraikawa. He is preceded in death by his older brother Ronald. A celebration of Jim’s life will be held in September. Details to come.
