Jim and I were high school classmates and teammates on the basketball squad. There was no more loyal friend than Jim and no better teammate who would always give 110% while competing.

I was glad to read he took up other hobbies like hunting because we both had bad feet back in the day.

My last memories of Jim were at the 30 year class reunion and swapping stories and laughs. Jim’s personality always made you feel at ease. For the class of ’77 and the Mendlik family, he will be sadly missed.

Mike and Roxanne Mendlik
Dallas, Texas

So sorry for your loss. Losing a family member is tramatic, but we hope you find comfort in your memories.

Our trips afield, whether fishing or hunting, most often began well before daylight with Jim pounding on my door with a hot cup of coffee as inducement to crawl out of a warm bunk. His biscuits and gravy (with a couple eggs on the side) were legendary. Starting the day without one of Jim’s breakfasts wasn’t even an option.

His enthusiasm for our outdoor pursuits often meant that days began early and ended late—but never with bad feelings—only optimism for the next day.

We were both great nappers. A mid-day siesta in the blind or on the boat or in the pickup recharged our batteries when the birds, animals, or fish weren’t active. On one occasion Bettie woke us by firing at a nice whitetail buck with her .270 resting across the hood of my pickup (where Jim & I napped).

Since moving from Nebraska to Wyoming a few years ago, I haven’t hunted or fished quite as much. Age is probably part of the reason. But it’s even more likely that the motivation that Jim and I supplied one another when one of us was having a slow day has been missing.

The days and weeks and years will be less full without Jim, but my memory bank is loaded with the many, many good days and weeks and years that we enjoyed each other’s company.