1922
James
2018
James Gaz
September 21, 1922 — May 8, 2018
Obituary for James "Jim" Gaz
Our beloved father, grandfather and great grandfather James “Jim” Gaz passed away peacefully on May 8th, 2018 in Ketchum, ID of natural causes. He was 95.
Jim was born on September 21, 1922 in Hamilton, OH to his parents, Vasilios and Georgia Gaz. He graduated from The University of Cincinnati in 1945 with an Aeronautical Engineering degree. Jim served in the United States Armed Forces between June 1946 - April 1947. A big part of his life he worked for Boeing Company where one his greatest achievements was his involvement in the construction of the first Jumbo Jet, the Boeing 747. The visionary he was, in the early 70’s Jim started his own company, Adelphi Inc. with two fellow engineers, building the company from the ground up and selling it years later after considerable success. Jim was fortunate to end his long and successful career at Boeing where he was involved with yet another exciting classified project.
Jim moved to Hailey, ID in 1998 where he had always dreamt of residing because of his passion for skiing. Retired, he built his house with the intention to live out his life as a ski bum while at the same time being very involved in various organizations in the Wood River Valley volunteering for local festivals and events. Jim even went back to work in his late 70’s as a manager for the Sun Valley Bowling Alley which he enjoyed immensely, the social butterfly he was.
Jim was passionately involved for most of his life with the Greek organization, AHEPA , who’s mission statement is: “To promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, integrity and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.” He received countless recognitions holding numerous positions in AHEPA chapters in 3 states.
Jim was very active his whole life engaging in countless hobbies, sports and activities from building and flying model airplanes in his younger years to mountaineering, jogging around Green Lake with his best buddy Gus, whitewater rafting and cycling just to name a few. Jim’s love for skiing really took off at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in WA where he served as a volunteer ski patroller for many years. He continued skiing until age 94! Jim spent his remaining years traveling the world, visiting his friends and family, hosting numerous bbq’s and dinners at his home, but his favorite activity was to have lunch with his wonderful local buddies at the Senior Connection in Hailey.
Jim is survived by his children Bill, Christina and Elisabeth, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A memorial will take place on May 26th at 1020 Buckskin Drive in Hailey from 2-4 pm. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Jim' life. In lieu of flowers, please donate to one or more of the following:
St. Ignatius of Antioch Orthodox Christian Church, Twin Falls ID
The Life Church, Hailey ID
AHEPA
Veterans of America
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Jim was born on September 21, 1922 in Hamilton, OH to his parents, Vasilios and Georgia Gaz. He graduated from The University of Cincinnati in 1945 with an Aeronautical Engineering degree. Jim served in the United States Armed Forces between June 1946 - April 1947. A big part of his life he worked for Boeing Company where one his greatest achievements was his involvement in the construction of the first Jumbo Jet, the Boeing 747. The visionary he was, in the early 70’s Jim started his own company, Adelphi Inc. with two fellow engineers, building the company from the ground up and selling it years later after considerable success. Jim was fortunate to end his long and successful career at Boeing where he was involved with yet another exciting classified project.
Jim moved to Hailey, ID in 1998 where he had always dreamt of residing because of his passion for skiing. Retired, he built his house with the intention to live out his life as a ski bum while at the same time being very involved in various organizations in the Wood River Valley volunteering for local festivals and events. Jim even went back to work in his late 70’s as a manager for the Sun Valley Bowling Alley which he enjoyed immensely, the social butterfly he was.
Jim was passionately involved for most of his life with the Greek organization, AHEPA , who’s mission statement is: “To promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, integrity and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.” He received countless recognitions holding numerous positions in AHEPA chapters in 3 states.
Jim was very active his whole life engaging in countless hobbies, sports and activities from building and flying model airplanes in his younger years to mountaineering, jogging around Green Lake with his best buddy Gus, whitewater rafting and cycling just to name a few. Jim’s love for skiing really took off at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in WA where he served as a volunteer ski patroller for many years. He continued skiing until age 94! Jim spent his remaining years traveling the world, visiting his friends and family, hosting numerous bbq’s and dinners at his home, but his favorite activity was to have lunch with his wonderful local buddies at the Senior Connection in Hailey.
Jim is survived by his children Bill, Christina and Elisabeth, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A memorial will take place on May 26th at 1020 Buckskin Drive in Hailey from 2-4 pm. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Jim' life. In lieu of flowers, please donate to one or more of the following:
St. Ignatius of Antioch Orthodox Christian Church, Twin Falls ID
The Life Church, Hailey ID
AHEPA
Veterans of America
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of James Gaz, please visit our flower store.
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