James V. Elmore

James V. Elmore, CTMCM, US Navy (ret.), age 74, passed away of cancer at his home in Medford, OR, at 4:35 a.m., July 25, 2012, with his wife Bonnie, son Larry, and sister-in-law Betty at his side.

Jim was born at Hamilton, MT to Vernon R. and Doris Alkire Elmore, on July 10, 1938, the third of seven children. The family moved to Butte, MT for about 4 years where his father worked as a hard-rock miner underground, before returning to Hamilton where they owned a 40 acre farm. Jim graduated from Hamilton High School in 1956. He served a total of 24 years in the U.S. Navy, joining the Navy on February 1, 1957. He went to boot camp at San Diego and then sent to Treasure Island, CA for a short period before receiving orders to the Haskell-class Attack Transport USS Lenawee (APA-195), where he was promoted to DK-2. He was released from active duty on January 25, 1961 and honorably discharged January 31, 1963.

He returned to Hamilton where he met and married his wife of 49 years, Bonnie Reeves Elmore at her parent's house on April 28, 1963.

He re-enlisted in the Navy in January 1964, and was released from active duty July 1984 and honorably discharged in October, 1984, having reached the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer. He served as a Cryptologic Technician, Maintenance, often assigned to large electronic listening posts that eavesdropped on Communist-bloc nations' communications. Duty stations included Treasure Island, CA; Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) Corry Station, Pensacola, FL; Naval Security Group Command, Guam; Elmendorf Air force Base, Anchorage, AK; return to Corry Station, Pensacola as an instructor; Naval Exchange Program at listening post in Gander, Newfoundland; return to Pensacola, FL as Course Manager; Chief of Technical Training on the Admiral's Staff, Millington, TN; Naval Security Group Command, Electronics Maintenance Department Head, Adak, AK.

After retiring from the Navy the family settled at Bozeman, MT where Jim and Bonnie remained for 13 years while Jim was employed by Karst Stage as a school bus and charter coach driver; Montana State University as a Computer Maintenance Technician; then Planetarium Technician at the Museum of the Rockies. Jim also had a passion for trucking and drove for Idaho Asphalt, Little Montana, Westlake Trucking, and was a founding member and general manager of Montana Motor Coach, Ltd. Following this, in 1998, Jim and Bonnie decided to live their dream and spent the next 12 years on the road as full-time RVers, crisscrossing the American West, Canada, and Alaska. They finally settled down in Medford, Oregon, not far from their daughter Robin and her family. Jim was a lifetime member of the NRA and a strong supporter of gun rights. He was also a competition pistol shooter for many years and shot with the US Navy Atlantic Fleet Pistol Team at Camp Perry, Ohio in 1979.

He is survived by his wife Bonnie, son Larry and daughter-in-law Whitney, Plano, TX; son Brian and grand-daughter Hanna, Anchorage, AK; son Bradley, Albuquerque, NM and grandsons Nathan, Missoula, MT and Joshua, Bozeman, MT; daughter Robin, son-in-law Eric and grandson Ethan, in Ashland, OR; sister Muriel Gooder, Grantsdale, MT; sister Nancy Mumbower, husband Claude in Columbus, MT; brother David Elmore, wife Ariel, and sister Sharon Luedecke, husband Robert from Hamilton, MT; and brother Gary Elmore, wife Sandy, in Libby, MT. Brother-in-law, Jim Reeves, wife Juanita in Hamilton. Sister-in-law Betty Elhard and husband Leo, in Eastern Mt. He was preceeded in death by his brother Donald in 1960, his father Vernon in 1985, and his mother Doris in 2005. He donated his body to science via MedCure, and his ashes will be interred at Eagle Point National Cemetery, Eagle Point, OR. Memorials may be made to either the Medford hospice or a local hospice program of your choosing.