Obituary of James A. May

At daybreak on Saturday, June 30, 2012, the life of James A May changed from mortal to immortal as he went to be with his Heavenly Father, and his earthly parents and siblings who had preceded him. His death was the result of the ravages of the disease of Alzheimers. Jim, 82, of Jerome the son of John and Jessie Tillman May, born May 10, 1930, in Manhatten, KS the 9th of 13 children, Ruby Merrit Smith, Daniel May, Juanita Jones, Esther Rynearson, Marjorie Reising, Naomi Tupper, Opal Yount, Wanda Fouts, Geraldine Valline, Harold May, Duane May, and Shirley Anderson. He was preceded in death by his parents and 10 siblings. Jim joined his family on the farm during the depression and as the result of his father’s ill health, at a young age he learned to harness the team of mule, and work the fields. He had a deep love for the mules and horses all his life and because of this, when he retired in 1996 and returned to his home on 10 acres in Jerome county, he plowed his garden and mowed and raked his hay with his team of mules, then hitched the team to a hay wagon and pitched the hay onto the wagon and stacked it by hand with the help of his son, Gary. In 1944 his family moved to Twin Falls where he attended school. Due to his father’s ill health and death Jim left school at the age of 16 and with the help of his brother in law learned the trade of an ironworker to support his parents and four younger siblings. He began his work for Morrison Knutson on the upper and lower Salmon Dams, and the Twin Falls Hospital. In 1951 he enlisted in the Air force and was sent to Lackland Air Force Base, TX for basic training, then Selma, AL. In 1949 he had met the love of his life, Janet Miller, in Twin Falls. They were married on April 12, 1952, Janet joined him in Alabama. He was then sent to Manilla, Philippines for an 18 month tour of duty, in support of the Korean conflict. His last assignment was at Amarillo AFB, TX. Following his military discharge he soon returned to construction work for MK, placing rebar in the Oxbow and Brownlee Dams near Halfway, OR where the family lived for four years until Jim was involved in an accident which broke both legs. After this he decided along with his two younger brothers to begin their own business, Tri-M Erectors, in Kent, WA which was a very successful steel placing business in the Pacific Northwest. In 1974 Jim decided to return to farming and bought a ranch east of Jerome where he farmed and raised Angus cattle for 15 years. In 1989 Jim returned to construction in Tucson, AZ and in Portland, OR, where he and his sons began another company, Bar-M Steel and worked there until retirement in 1996, leaving the businesses to his sons. During these years, Jim and Janet raised 5 children, Gary, Jerry, David, Cindy, and Kevin. Besides his love of horses, he loved to hunt and fish. He attended the Church of the Nazarene in Twin Falls. He is survived by his wife Janet of 60 years, children, Gary May Jerome,ID, Jerry (Sandi) May, Sandy, OR, David (Connie) May, Twin Falls, Cindy (Kevin) Paulin, Jerome, ID, Kevin (Kathleen) May, Oregon City, OR Grandchildren, Angela (Ryan) Niska, Ryan (Jenny) May, Chad May, Travis (Gabby) May, Sommer (Jason) Skrnich, Wade May, Craig (Libby Deahn) Paulin, Brad (Sarah) Paulin, Erin (Alex) Fultz, Racquel May, Colton May, Reese May, step-grandchildren, Jaime (Ryan) Muchow, Courtnee Windsor. 11 great grandchildren, sister, Geraldine Valline, Auburn, WA, brother Harold (Virginia) May, Enumclaw, WA, sister-in-law, Patricia May, Logan, NM and numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to express their gratitude to Teri and the staff at DeSano Place in Jerome and Idaho Home and Hospice for their loving care of Jim. A viewing for Jim will be held from 5-7 PM, Wednesday, July 4 at Rosenau Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, on Thursday, July 5 at the Church of the Nazarene in Twin Falls with the family greeting friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at the Twin Falls Cemetery with Military Honors provided by the Magic Valley Honor Guard and the Idaho National Guard Honor Guard. Memorials may be given to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, PO Box 96391, Washington DC, 20090 or Compassionate Ministries c/o Church of the Nazarene, 1231 Washington St. N., Twin Falls, ID. Family and friends are encouraged to share their memories of Jim at www.rosenaufuneralhome.com