James Olds Jr., 89, passed away peacefully in Pleasant Hill, Tennessee, in the Uplands Village retirement community he had called home for 16 years.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Jim was raised in Bath Township with four siblings who according to family lore, were frequently instructed by their mother to “find Jimmy and tell him, ‘Don’t!’.”
Despite his mischievous endeavors, Jim graduated from Bath High School in 1949 and went on to attend Hiram College for two years. He subsequently transferred to the University of Michigan, where he earned both a bachelor’s and law degree, graduating in 1955. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI, receiving his commission as ensign in 1956.
His naval career took him to the West Coast. He served for two years as a law specialist for Service Squadron One in San Diego, a command in charge of naval repair ships in the Pacific Theater. He spend the next year as the training officer aboard the USS Norton Sound, a missile test ship based in Port Hueneme, north of Los Angeles. Upon his release from active duty in 1959, he was serving as a permanent law specialist and a qualified officer of the deck underway. He remained active in the Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant Commander.
He subsequently returned to Akron and joined his father, James Olds Sr., in his small law firm. They worked together for many years, with much of their practice focusing on litigation defending personal injury actions, primarily from automobile accidents.
In 1965 Jim was appointed to the Bath Township Board of Zoning Appeals and served as its chairman for 26 years. He also was a longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, where he sang in the choir, often testing his baritone register to fill in as a tenor.
His hobbies included gardening, fixing things, and beekeeping. In 2003, he retired from the practice of law to focus on these pursuits, primarily gardening. The next year he and his wife, Helen, relocated to Pleasant Hill, where they were active members of the community and of the local United Church of Christ, which Jim served as moderator from 2012-2014.
He was a member of the Uplands Village board for four years and chaired the community’s silent auction fundraiser four times.
In addition, Jim served as Mayor of Pleasant Hill from 2006-2010. He also sat on the town’s Strategic Planning Committee and the Life Lease Task Force.
At the end of his life, Jim received compassionate care from the staff of Wharton Village Homes and Caris Healthcare of Crossville, Tenn. His devoted friend, Ruth Klaver, provided invaluable support.
Jim is preceded in death by his wife, Helen; brothers Walter and Robert; and brother-in-law Gerald Foote.
He is survived by children Ben of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; Laura (Gary) Williams of Broadview Heights, Ohio; Lauren (Jeff) Patrick of Philadelphia; Thomas (Lisa) Pugh of Henderson, Nev.; and James (Peggy) Pugh of Tallmadge, Ohio; sisters Sally of Chicago; and Mary Foote of Eau Claire, Wis.; sister-in-law Catherine Olds of Brigham City, Utah; five grandchildren, many nieces and nephews; and his first wife, Margaret Olds, of Copley, Ohio.
No service is scheduled. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Uplands Village (P.O. Box 168, Pleasant Hill, TN 38578, with “memorial for Jim Olds” in the subject line), or to the charity of your choice.
