James Hiram Brock

In the early morning hours of April 11, 2018, at the incredible age of 105, James (Jim) H. Brock passed peacefully into the realms of heaven at his home in Redding, CA. He was born in Winnsboro, Texas in 1912 to parents John Reuben and Rutha Naomi Brock. Jim is predeceased by his oldest son, Jimmie, as well as brothers John, Thomas, Ottis, Sherwood, "JR" and their sister OmaFaye. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Mavis, daughters Carolyn Troutman-Culbertson and Shirley Ellis (Mike) both of Redding and son Darryl Brock (Venus) of Willows as well as six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Jim grew up on a farm about 110 miles east of Dallas. He struck out for California in 1936 during the Great Depression and found jobs working in a glass factory, oil refinery and as a crewman on the construction of the Caldecott Tunnel (Oakland). He later ventured to eastern Washington, to work as a laborer on the Grand Coulee Dam and was present when crews set the world record for most concrete poured in a day at 20,684.5 yards. In 1940, Jim spent two years working on our majestic Shasta Dam, often dangling almost 200 feet in the air, as he chipped away at loose rocks, before being promoted to grouter. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Jim exemplified the character of the "greatest generation" by immediately enlisting in the Marine Corp in January 1942 where, among other duties, he stood guard with a submachine gun over a reserve of gold bars at the naval shipyard at Hunter's Point in San Francisco. His unit later shipped out to the South Pacific where he spent the next 3 years in New Caledonia and the Russell Islands assigned to an engineering battalion and management of a lumber yard.

After coming home from the war, he briefly drove a taxi cab in Brownfield, Texas where he met the young Mavis Stacker and after a whirlwind romance of three weeks, they were married. The marriage was made-in-heaven since it endured for over 72 years! Remaining fond of his days in the "West," the couple ventured back and forth from Texas to California for the first 5 years of marriage, finally settling at last in Redding in 1956 to raise their children. Jim worked as a heavy duty mechanic and retired from U.S. Plywood. After retirement, Jim remained extremely active growing an ever-enlarging garden, hunting, camping, traveling with family and friends, and enjoying grandchildren and great-grandchildren sporting events. Jim was a devout Christian and active member of their church for over 55 years.

Services will be held on Friday, April 20, 2018 at 9:00 am at Lawncrest Chapel in Redding, CA, with a viewing to be held at 8:00am on Friday, April 20, 2018, at the Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to support the Shasta Marines or Shasta Lake Historical Society as important local emblems of American history marked by a generation of "shared sacrifice," that has forever shaped America's fabric for the better. May you all be so fortunate to know a man even half as great as Jim Brock, one of the greatest examples of God's perfect love and glory here on earth.