James R. Blankenship

James R. Blankenship II, 61, of Corvallis, Montana passed away Friday, July 3, 2015 at his home. He was born August 25, 1953 in Los Angeles, California, the son of the late James R. and Noline D. Blankenship.

Jim grew up in California, where his father was a California Highway Patrolman; after moving several times during his childhood Jim graduated from Enterprise High School in Redding, California in 1971. During the following two summers Jim worked for the California Division of Forestry.

Jim moved to Pullman, Washington where he attended Washington State University. While in Pullman, Jim worked for the Whitman County Sheriff's Office. While attending Washington State University, Jim started as a resident firefighter with the Pullman Fire Department.

In 1976, Jim moved to Wenatchee, Washington to join the Wenatchee Fire Department, where he obtained the rank of Battalion Chief. On June 23, 1979 he married Rhea L. Delaney in Wenatchee, Washington.

In 1987, they moved to Graham, Washington, where Jim was Fire Chief for Pierce County Fire District 21 until his retirement in 1993. Jim later worked for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in wildland fire and recreation management. In 2004, Jim moved to Montana where he started working for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in wildland fire training, prevention and investigations. In recent years Jim also served on the Western Montana Incident Management Team.

In 2008, Jim joined the Corvallis Rural Fire District as a volunteer firefighter and later served as the Department Training Officer. Starting in 2009, Jim served as a Trustee for the Corvallis Rural Fire Department.

During his life Jim served on many boards and was a member of many organizations, including: Washington State Fire Chief's Association, Pierce County Fire Chief's Association, Fire Department Safety Officer Association, Montana State Fire Chief's Association, International Association of Arson Investigators, Advisory Board for Montana State Fire Service Training Services, Member of the All Hazard Incident Command Team Association, Keep Montana Green, American Red Cross, and Ducks Unlimited.

Jim enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid hunter and fisherman. When his son James was young, Jim also enjoyed coaching youth hockey and baseball. Jim loved animals, but especially his Miniature Australian Shepherds and Labradors. He also enjoyed skiing and rock climbing. Jim loved to travel with his wife and family, frequently including trips to Mexico. On his recent trip to Belize, Jim also earned his SCUBA certification.

Jim is survived by his wife Rhea of 36 years, his son James and fiancAC.e Kristen of Spokane, Washington; his sister Jane Winning and husband Bob Winter of Chowchilla, California, his sister Jan and husband Ron Geib of Oakdale, California; two nieces and three nephews.

Visitation will be held Sunday, July 12, 2015 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton.

Funeral services will be held Monday, July 13, 2015 at 2 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Hamilton High School. A reception will follow at the Corvallis Fire Department Station in Corvallis.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials can be made to Ravalli County Bank, P.O. Box 150, Hamilton, MT 59840, or locally at any Family of Banks location to the Jim Blankenship Memorial Fund.