James Poston

My Life Story James "Jim" Arthur Poston was born May 28, 1929, and died April 3, 2017. He was born to Charlie Poston and Ena Alexander, who migrated to the United States from England in approx. 1910. Jim and his 10 siblings grew up in Pleasant Grove, CA. He was known for his practical jokes and shared many entertaining stories of his antics with his siblings, working in orchards, and their life in this small rural agricultural community. Jim married Donna Marie Vroman on March 19, 1955 in Reno, NV. He dedicated his life to being the best husband and father possible. He and Donna had 4 children and raised them in Roseville and Loomis, CA, not far from where he grew up. He and Donna later moved to Idaho, after their children married. Jim retired from the U.S. Dept. of Defense as an Electrical Engineer. Prior to this employment, he farmed rice and was a veteran of the Korean War. During one battle in Korea, Sergeant Jim Poston took a bullet that rested against his heart, barely sparing his life. This heroic action and two other incidents earned him three Purple Heart medals. This POW was reported MIA to his family, a very sad ordeal for them. In later years, Jim found some peace when he reconnected with a few of his friends from the war. He was an active VFW member and was honored to be a part of a PTSD case study so that future veterans might receive the medical attention they need to regain their lives with less hardship. Jim blessed his family with his love for the great outdoors. He had a passion for adventure and instilled that passion into his children and grandchildren. Summer vacations were spent camping at the Pacific Coast or the Sierra Nevadas, 4 wheeling, hiking, fishing, and exploring. He shared his love of hunting with his sons and fishing talents with his daughters. Jim, Jon (son), Keith (son), Quinn (brother-in-law), and many friends set out each fall to bag that prized elk, deer, antelope, pheasant, dove, duck, or goose. He even took Donna hunting before his children were born. Much time was spent in a boat with his family catching enough fish to feed his family of 6. He loved skin diving and pried enough abalone from the rocky Pacific Coast to feast on. So many wonderful times were spent in his Willy's Jeep pickup covering dirt roads in the Sierra Nevadas with his youngest brother, David, who had the same vehicle but a year older. What a sight that must have been, Jim in his 1957 & David in his 1956, wives up front and the kids filling up the beds! No dirt road could be left untraveled. He carried this hunger for adventure into retirement with Donna. The two set out to see as much of America as they possibly could. Jim coached football & baseball for his son's teams, refereed basketball for Jon's high school team, and played golf with Donna. He taught us all to love card games and later became a master bridge player. He was always a good cook, but discovered the art of baking cakes after he retired. He was frequently asked to bring his 'to die for chocolate cake' to bridge parties and birthdays. He could grow just about anything! Jim was always digging, planting, or harvesting something. Family & friends enjoyed his vegetables, fruits, and jams year round. Jim loved to laugh, tell jokes, and do pretty much anything to get a chuckle out of us all. He especially loved pranking his grandchildren with stories of "The Claw." He did his best to teach them what he knew about having fun. He passed his gear head knowledge onto his oldest grandsons, Brandon & Matthew. Both have careers in this industry today. Both grandsons remember learning to drive on Jim's John Deere lawn mower & later in a 1983 Nissan king cab pickup out along the Snake River. In October of 2005, Jim had a massive stroke which left his speech impaired and his right side paralyzed. He managed to communicate and take walks in spite of this disability. Complications of this stroke finally took his life. Jim succeeded at being a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great grandfather. He leaves behind his wife of 62 years, Donna, of Meridian, ID; daughter, Teri, of Canon City, CO; grandson, Brandon and wife Patience, of Canon City, CO; great-grandchildren: Trysta (Jonas), Savannah, and Brayden, of Canon City, CO; great-great granddaughter, Paisley, of Canon City, CO; granddaughter, Sandy and husband Jason, of Wetmore, CO; great-grandson, Bryan, of Wetmore, CO; grandson, Austin & his wife, Lauren, of Jersey City, NJ; son, Jon & his wife Lisa, of Caldwell, ID; grandson, Matthew and his wife Heather, of Saucier, MS; great-grandchildren: Alexis, Hannahbell, Evlin, and Joseph, of Saucier, MS; grandson, David & his wife Melanie, of Greenleaf, ID; great-grandchildren, William, Owen, Morgan, Lydia, Allison, & Jocelyn, of Greenleaf, ID; daughter, Toni and her husband Chris, of Meridian, ID; grandchildren, Jessica, Christopher, Emylee, and Austin, of Meridian, ID; son, Keith and his wife Sherri, of Meridian, ID; granddaughter, Lindsey, of Hayward, CA; granddaughter, Jarah, of Twin Falls, ID; great-granddaughter, Emma, of Twin Falls, ID; granddaughter, Ashleigh, of Meridian, ID. Jim also leaves behind his sisters, Dorothy Schluter and Irene Potter; brother, David and their families; brother-in-law, Gary and his family; numerous nephews, nieces, and other family members. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Ena Poston; sisters: Jean, Myrtle, Marge, Gwen, & Jackie; brothers: Denny and Ernie; parents-in-law Arthur and Elizabeth; sisters-in-law: Maureen, Lucille, Jean, and Shirley; and brothers-in-law: Relis and Arty. A Memorial and Life Celebration will be held at Calvary Chapel, 1210 N. Middleton Road, Nampa, ID 83651 on Friday, April 21, 2017 at 4:00 PM. Remembrances may be left for the family at www.AccentFuneral.com. Service are under the direction of Accent Funeral Home, Meridian.