Eugene Thomas James

Eugene Thomas James, a Lab retiree, died Jan. 3. He was 84.

Born Feb. 15, 1927, in Okema, Okla., he was the oldest of 13 children.

James worked for the Argo Pump Company in San Leandro, where he was involved in developing, setting and maintaining pumps for irrigation. He began employment at the Lab in 1961 as a maintenance mechanic and later became a swing shift supervisor, a position he held until his retirement in 1989. After retirement, he worked part-time at LLNL as a security escort for more than 10 years.

James and his wife enjoyed traveling and would often go on trips for at least six months. He liked to talk with people to find out more about them and always had a story to tell.

He also enjoyed riding motorcycles and established the Valley Trail Riders Motorcycle Club (VTR) in Livermore in 1970. He liked camping and water skiing, built several ski boats from scratch and constantly had a project going in the garage. A true blacksmith, craftsman and mechanic, he would hand fabricate everything and could fix anything. He would help his neighbors with projects and they would reciprocate.

James is survived by his wife, Ila; sons, Terry James of Georgia; Dale "Lynn" James and wife, Jan, of Tracy; two grandchildren, Chad James and wife, Letty, of Tracy; Stacey James of Livermore; and five great grandchildren.