Charles James

Charles James

70, of Libby

Charles R. (Chuck) James, 70, of Libby, passed away Sunday, May 1, 2016 at the Bee Hive Homes assisted living residence in Columbia Falls.

Chuck was born August 1, 1945, in Elmhurst, Ill., to George and Roberta James. The family moved from Illinois to Libby in the winter of 1951 and Chuck remained a loyal resident of the community. As a young man, Chuck was an avid hiker and loved exploring the Cabinet Mountain trails with his brother. Chuck’s career began as a custodian for the Libby School District No. 4 and continued until his retirement 37 years later. His greatest enjoyment working at Libby High School was his interaction with the staff and the local and international exchange students.

Chuck traveled extensively with his parents, having the opportunity to visit Scotland, England, Denmark and Spain as well as Morocco on the African coast. He also visited Mexico and Costa Rica as well as taking a Caribbean cruise and trips to the Hawaiian islands. Chuck had an innate ability to grasp foreign vocabulary while on these vacations and retained many of the phrases he learned surprising everyone with his knowledge.

Chuck had many interests, one of which was listening to short wave radio broadcasts and another was listening to music he located on his computer from website stations throughout the world. 

Chuck’s family is grateful to the owners, management and staff at the Bee Hive who showed him tremendous compassion and care during his stay and welcomed him as family. A highlight for Chuck was being named Valentine’s Day King of the Bee Hive which was attributed to his popularity, kindness and thoughtfulness.

Preceding him in death were his parents George and Roberta James and his grandmother Pauline Russell also from Libby. Chuck is survived by his brother Larry and wife Cheryl James, his nephew Kyle and wife Mindy James, and his great-nephew Connor James.

Viewing will take place at the Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home on Friday, May 6, 2016, from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the Funeral Home on Saturday, May 7, 2016, beginning at 10:30 a.m. with interment following at the Libby Cemetery. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.schnackenbergfh.com.