Family and friends will gather July 13th to remember Jim Granquist. Here’s the remembrance his family is sharing with the community:

James Joseph Granquist was born on August 1st, 1945, as WWII was ending.

He was the 3rd of 6 children, born to Joe & Mildred Granquist. It was a fun-loving, rollicking bunch: Lee, Sally, Jim, Mary, Bob, & Gary.

Jim was very athletic. He grew up mainly in West Seattle, where he would swim every day at Colman Pool & play tennis at Lincoln Park. He also loved baseball & football.

Despite a devastating brain hemorrhage just before his 16th birthday, he managed to graduate on time from West Seattle High School in 1963. He went on to get a teaching degree at the University of Puget Sound and a Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Washington.

Despite his left-side paralysis, Jim didn’t let it slow him down. He worked as a Psychiatric Social Worker at Rainier School in Buckley, WA for 35 years, where he was well liked by staff & parents.

Jim married Wanda in 1968, and they celebrated their 50th anniversary just last year. Jim loved being a Dad to his two sons, Doug and Joe. And delighted in his two daughters-in-law, Megan and Keri. He was blessed with four sweet grandsons: Tyler, Elliott, William, & Ruston.

Jim loved many things, but especially: his sports teams, Scrabble, flashlights, Fig Newtons, the Auburn Senior Center, playing dummy rummy, traveling with our camping buddies, his family, his friends, & his church.

A celebration of Jim’s life will be held on Saturday, July 13th at 3 pm at Family of Grace Lutheran Church in Auburn, WA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Auburn Senior Center.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)