Navorska tree » James William Alwood (1922-2014)

Personal data James William Alwood 

• He was born on April 8, 1922 in Edgerton, AB.
• Immigrated in the year 1924 vanuit AB, to, Skagit Vly., WA.
• Resident on November 29, 2013: Hoquiam, Grays Harbor Co., WA.
• He died on August 21, 2014 in Willapa Harbor Care Ctr., Raymond, Pacific Co., WA, he was 92 years old.
• He is buried on September 13, 2014 in Sunset Mem. Pk, Hoquiam, Grays Harbor Co., WA.
• A child of David William Alwood and Lerah Hammock
• This information was last updated on December 15, 2015.

Household of James William Alwood

He is married to Eileen Constance Kerr.

They got married on April 24, 1946 at St. Mary’s Cath. Chr., fortasse, Aberdeen, Grays Harbor Co., WA, he was 24 years old.

James William Alwood oo Eileen Constance Kerr

Marriage source: Klaus, Terry, The Family Alwood, (Publication location: Crescent City, CA, Publisher: T.K., Publication date: June MCMXCI), pg. 51, Repository: Dallas TX pub. lib. for fact of marriage.

Coleman Mortuary, Eileen Constance Alwood obituary, (Publication location: Hoquiam WA, Publisher: Coleman Mortuary Inc., Publication date: viewed iii Dec MMXIII), Repository: The Web

"Obituaries ... Eileen Constance Alwood (February 20, 1925 - November 28, 2013) ... Eileen C. Alwood, 1925 – 2013 ... She met her “husband to be” in 1944, while Jim was home on leave from the U.S. Army Air Corp and exchanged letters until the end of WWII. They were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on April 24, 1946, and recently celebrated their67th wedding anniversary. ..." <>

Child(ren):

1. (Not public)
2. (Not public)
3. (Not public)
4. (Not public)

Notes about James William Alwood

James William Alwood

Source: Author: Klaus, Terry, Title: The Family Alwood, (Publication location: Crescent City, CA, Publisher: T.K., Publication date: June MCMXCI), pg. 51, Repository: Dallas TX pub. lib.

Terry writes, "James William Alwood ... was captured by the Germans and held in a POW camp."

1930 census - Nation of birth = Canada

Author: Alwood, Dave, Title: Jim Alwood's Passing, (Publication location: Raymond, WA, Publisher: DA, Publication date: xxi Aug MMXIV)

"From: Dave Alwood To: Anne Clark ; Joan Turner ; Sandie King ; Colleen Fikse ; Greg Alwood ; Dolores Alwood ; Jim Omdahl ; (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX) Cc: Cole, Kris A. Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2014 4:36 PM Subject: Jim Alwood's Passing

Hello all, This morning @ 9:37 I was contacted by Willipa Care Center advising me that Dad's breathing was extremely labored, so Matt & I sped to Raymond, praying we'd make it in time to be at his side. We greeted Dad, who was lying in bed uponentering the room, he took two more shallow breaths over the next minute, then joined his beloved wife, daughter, sisters, relatives and friends at 11:11 AM.

While heartbroken by his passing, we were blessed to be at his side when he received his new wings.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your prayers and support. Viewing and funeral information will soon be forthcoming.

Respectfully

Dave Alwood"

Coleman Mortuary, James William Alwood obituary, (Publication location: Hoquiam WA, Publisher: Coleman Mortuary Inc., Publication date: viewed Aug MMXIV), Repository: The Cloud

Link: http://www.colemanmortuary.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=2655763&fh_id=10358

"James William Alwood April 8, 1922 - August 21, 2014

On August 21st, the "Greatest Generation" lost another of its heroes when God called his beloved son Jim, a convert to Catholicism, home to join his wife of 67 years; Eileen and daughter Mary who preceded him in death.

Born April 8th 1922 in Edgerton, Alberta Canada inside a 2-room farm cabin to David "Will" and Lerah (Hammock) Alwood, he was the youngest of four children.

The family moved from Canada to the Skagit Valley in 1924, remaining there until job losses from the Great Depression forced a relocation to Aberdeen in 1932 where Will found work at one of the local timber mills, purchased property andbuilt the family home at 2833 Wishkah Road using reclaimed lumber from demolition projects, passing along an exceptional work ethic, love of woodworking and carpentry skills that would serve Jim well in later life.

As a youth Jim acquired a passion for flying and all things aeronautical, adorning his room with model airplanes, further fueling his dream of becoming a pilot. He attended Samuel Benn Elementary and graduated Weatherwax High School in1940, joining the Marines September 4 of that year, completed boot camp, transferred to the Army to learn aircraft engine mechanics and promoted to Sergeant. While gearing up for WWII, the U.S. Army Air Corp found itself short of collegegraduates who typically entered the military as officers and ushered into flight schools. To offset this shortfall, the Army initiated the "Flying Sergeants" program. Jim earned his twin-engine pilot's wings for C-47's (aka: Dakotas), as well as his nickname: "Seaweed", promoted to Staff Sergeant, assigned to the 315-34th Troop Carrier Group, received overseas orders October 1942 to co-pilot one of 26 C-47's in an Air Echelon to England by way of Nova Scotia, Greenlandand Iceland. Once established in Great Britain, the group flew re-supply missions across the country until receiving orders in May of '43, transferring two squadrons to North Africa, arriving in Casablanca, Morocco on the 28th, then ontoAlgeria's Blida Aerodrome the next day to provide air transport and contingency services to Tunisia, Libya & Egypt, culminating in Operation Husky (July 9 to August 17) that liberated Sicily from Axis powers, resulting in the over throughand capture of fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Within months of the Allied victory at Sicily, Jim was flying missions as part of Operation Avalanche, the invasion of Italy (Sept. 9, '43 to Jan. 21 '44), including Naples-Foggia, Rome and Arno campaigns before being recalled to Spanhoefield in England to prepare for Operation Overlord. By this time he was promoted to Flight Officer / 1st Lieutenant, responsible for direction of tactical plans and operations of C-47 squadrons, supervising aircrew briefings, assigningmissions and maintaining aircraft records. Upon learning of an elite paratrooper squadron named Pathfinders, he volunteered for specialized training. As the invasion of Europe approached he joined the 505 PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment)of the 82nd Airborne. On June 5th, 1944 @ 11:00 PM, piloted plane no. 12 of twenty C-47's with 19 airborne infantry aboard, crossing the English Channel to Ste-Mere Eglise, 7 hours ahead of the D-Day invasion forces, dropping paratroopers precisely on targetwhere they assembled lighted "Tees", to be switched on 10 minutes before thousands of troops would drop from planes and land in gliders on the French countryside. On the return leg home, they all beheld an awesome sight of the largest amphibious assault force amassed in history and aircraft in numbers that eclipsed the sun. Within days of successfully acquiring a foothold in France, a freak stormswept through the Channel, destroying the Allies artificial Mulberry Harbors, making re-supply difficult until ports in the North of France were freed from German control. Jim returned to the 315th, dropping ammunition, gasoline andsupplies as the Battle of Northern France became the "Largest, most violent armed conflict in history". As the march toward Germany continued, elements of the 101st Airborne came under siege at Bastogne, Belgium (Battle of the Bulge) whenGerman forces staged the largest counter offensive of the war, causing shortages of food, medicine, ammunition and re-enforcements. Weeks of foul weather prevented aerial re-supply drops until it began clearing on Dec. 23rd, when the315th was ordered to drop supplies from 1000' if overcast or 200' if clear. As Jim approached snow covered Bastogne, the sun broke through, forcing the planes to drop supplies from 200', well within range of small arms fire. German ground troops, knowing the war was lost, opted to shoot out both engines of hisplane rather than the cockpit. Through a series of extraordinary maneuvers and favorable topography, he miraculously belly landed the stricken aircraft, saving all eight crew members aboard but taken prisoner within view of the Americanlines. Jim was held in solitary confinement and interrogated for 8 days before being marched, driven and loaded aboard a 40 et 8 boxcar for transport to Stalag 1 in Barth, Germany during Europe's coldest Winter on record. He and his navigatorFrank Hayden fought off starvation as their captors withheld vital Red Cross packages, meant to provide prisoners supplemental food during captivity, as German supply lines were severed. Captives were fed one bowl of watery soup per daywith occasional bits of rotting potato or rutabaga, often fighting off bouts of vomiting and diarrhea from malnutrition. He recounted an episode when his barrack received one can of SPAM, which was precisely cut into 20 cubes anddistributed evenly to each starving airmen. One lump of coal was also dispensed to each hut at night, in a fruitless attempt to stave off the winter cold. Finally on May 1st, '45 the prisoners awoke to find their captors had left inadvance of Russian troops during the night, whose retribution they feared for slaughtering 20 million of their comrades. Upon liberation, U.S. forces were notified of the camp's location, whereby supplies and aid were provided for another 2 weeks as VE Day was declared May 8th and arrangements made for their transport home the following week. Jim and his navigator finally returned to England inside the belly of a B17, sent back to the States aboard a Liberty Ship to convalesce, discharged from active duty in January '46 and received U.S. Citizenship for his military service. In addition to a variety of campaign ribbons, he was also the recipient of the EAME (European, Africa, Middle East) Ribbon, French Medal of Liberty, the Army's Oak Leaf Cluster Medal for Meritorious Service and Valor as well as thePrisoner of War Medal.

He married Eileen Constance Kerr after a long distance, 2-year courtship at Aberdeen's St. Mary's Catholic Church on April 24 of that year, purchased and operated The Turner Store and Service Station on Wishkah Road, as well building and selling plywood paddleboards for the Alwood Paddleboard Company. In theearly 50's, Jim and a partner purchased a section of land outside Aberdeen, installed water and sewer infrastructure, sold lots and named the development "Bench Drive".

Desirous of raising a family but incapable of baring children, Jim & Eileen registered with Catholic Adoptive Services of Seattle, welcoming David in 1956 and Matthew in '57. Jim accepted a position with the CAA, (currently FAA) in 1958,packing Eileen and the boys off to Farewell Alaska, working as an air traffic controller at an isolated flight station for 1½ years, until transferring to Woody Island (across from Kodiak) for another 1½ years, then bid and accepted aposition at Hoquiam's Bowerman Field in 1961, as well as fielding but declining several offers to become a commercial airline pilot. Upon returning to their roots, the family adopted two more children, Mary in '62 and Anne in '63.

Access to aircraft and a field allowed Jim to carry on his love of flying as well as instruct, which he did for nearly 30 years. One day in 1962, while preparing to land at Bowerman, he noticed a piece of undeveloped property atop Hoquiam's Beacon Hill, which he bought and personally built the family home, providing an unmatched view of all aircraft descending onfinal approach to the field. Jim's piloting skills served him well at Bowerman, receiving numerous commendations from military and civilian entities for life saving efforts on behalf of lost pilots, who'd become disoriented in thick fog or cloud cover, calmly talkingthem through instrument, altitude, VOR, flap and throttle settings, until landing safely at the field. He was also a member of the Twin Harbors Chapter of the Washington Pilots Association and recipient of the FAA's OutstandingPerformance Award.

Jim & Eileen raised their children over the next two decades, during which their hospitality became well known amongst friends and family. The home's size provided a gathering place for friends and relatives to celebrate Holidays,functions and even weddings. Once the kids move out, Jim built an addition onto their bedroom, turning it into a suite, complete with its own wood stove, deck and patio door onto the back yard. Over the years, the home's basement became aformidable woodshop, turning out furniture, kitchen cabinets, grandfather clocks, mantles, speaker boxes and even a 1934 PT-17 Stearman biplane, the same type of plane he learned to fly in, which Jim restored for his friend and student:Dr. John D. Ehrhart. Once the plane passed inspection, he placed a leather cap and goggles on his 85-year old mother, loaded her in the front seat and gave her, her first airplane ride in an open air cockpit. One she never forgot. Jim & Eileen were lifelong parishioners at Our Lady of Good Help Church in Hoquiam, where the boys attended Catholic school until its closure in 1970. Jim also utilized his woodworking skills to produce and maintain a number of the church's furnishings with Eileen always volunteering him for something.

Jim retired from the FAA in 1987, one year before the building was leased out as a weather station, responsible for gathering data and forwarding it to a central distribution center for dissemination by pilots interested in localconditions. Since this task was only one performed by Jim during his FAA days and lived in the area, he was quickly hired and provided services until 1992. He also flew Fire Patrol for ITT Rayoner and Weyerhaeuser Timber Company's on hisdays off until the mid '90's, when he began noticing memory problems and grounded himself. Giving up the skies he loved so much. Shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with dementia. Initially the disease was an annoyance, so he channeled his interests into baking. Producing an exquisite variety of breads and extraordinary cinnamon rolls that friends and familycouldn't get enough of but as he approached age 85 in 2007, Jim lost more of his memory, unable to recount to others his amazing life story or reproduce those famous recipes we all came to love. His beloved wife Eileen (Butch) took on thehousehold responsibilities as well those of caregiver. Shortly thereafter, the family learned Mary, their eldest daughter, was battling ovarian cancer and Jim's macular degeneration blinded his left eye. Their eldest son David, also aHoquiam resident, rendered assistance and assumed home maintenance duties until being joined by his brother Matt in 2011, sharing chores between them. After Mary's passing in 2012, Eileen suffered several strokes, prompting Matt to movefrom his brother's house, into the family home as a full time caregiver. Although Jim's dementia was progressing rapidly, it wasn't until Eileen's passing in 2013 from several severe strokes and pneumonia did he begin declining, contracting C-DIFF after a number of hospital visits, he was admitted to Willipa Care Center in Raymond May 16th, suffering several more bouts with the disease until dementia robbed him of the ability to walk, eat and swallow. Never one to waste time, Jim passed away quietly in his sleep, 2-minutes after the bedside arrival of his two sons on August 21st @ 11:11 AM. He's survived by his children: David, Matt and Anne, a sister (Helen), Sister-inlaw (Delores), three nephews, four nieces and three grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Willipa Care Center, Dr. Shelly Dueber, the Hoquiam Ambulance and Fire crews for their valued assistance.

A Rosary will be held Saturday morning, September 13th @ 10:30 AM at Our Lady of Good Help Church in Hoquiam, Funeral Mass at 11:00 AM, Military Graveside Honors at Sunset Memorial Park @ 11:45 AM with reception to follow in the Church Hall. All family and friends are invited." <>

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Timeline James William Alwood

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