James Choate was born in White Plains, NY on January 20, 1940, to James and Nancy Choate. James, Sr. moved the family to Vancouver, WA to work on construction of the Victory Ships although, according to Jim, his father had gotten into a fight with a deputy sheriff, and they were running from the law. Along with his brothers, Joseph and John, they moved to Richland, WA in 1948. In his youth, Jim was an accomplished baseball player and was selected to the all-star team for several years running. Jim graduated from Columbia High School in 1958 then joined the navy in March of 1959. He served four years as a radarman on the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Boyd. Jim didn’t talk much about his time in the navy but, especially later in life, he was very proud of service. He loved wearing his “Tin Can Sailors” jacket and hat.

After his time in the navy, he returned to Richland and got his associates degree from Columbia Basin College in electronic technology. He was introduced to Viginia (Ginny) Young by his best friend from high school, Chuck Conrad. The two were married in November 1964. Ginny was truly the love of his life. They had two children, Michael and Nancy. The family spent much of their time at the cabin Jim and the family built at Priest Lake, Idaho. This was the site of summers on the lake, beautiful Christmas celebrations and countless gatherings for family and friends.

After getting his degree, he eventually went to work for Battelle Northwest as a facilities manager including a few years spent managing the marine research laboratory in Sequim, WA. He retired from Battelle after almost 30 years with the company. He then spent the next 5 years as facilities manager for the WSU branch campus in Richland. After his retirement from WSU, he and Ginny traveled the country with their trailer, periodically meeting up with friends at pre-designated times and locations. The two of them also traveled to New Orleans to do work with Habitat for Humanity following hurricane Katrina. Ginny passed away in 2008 which Jim struggled with for the rest of his life. However, he did find love again when he married Evelyn Andrews in 2011. Again, they spent time traveling the country until Evelyn had a severe stroke and eventually passed away in March of 2023.

Anyone that knew Jim knew his passion for life. He was a dedicated husband, caring father and loyal friend. He was one of those men that would do anything for anyone in need. Jim also had a passion for the outdoors. He loved to hunt birds and archery hunt for elk. Jim would load his donkeys and pack into the wilderness for many of his adventures. For Jim and Ginny, there was nothing they valued more than time with their friends and family. They loved to host gatherings, and their house was often a landing pad for Michael’s college buddies who would come to town for the hydroplane races in the summer or duck hunts over the holidays. Jim was also an excellent cook and was most famous for his salmon, spaghetti sauce, salsa and, of course, his beer batter pancakes.

Jim is survived by his brother, John, his children Nancy (Terry) and Michael (Amy) as well as six grandchildren and six great grandchildren. He will be deeply missed by all.