James Louis Talmage

Graduating from Chaminade High School in Dayton, Ohio in 1940, James went on to proudly serve in the U.S. Air Force during WWII, where he was a bombadeer. Upon returning from the war, James graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1950, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering. He spent his career as an engineer and retired as VP of Sales and Marketing for Cooper Industries. He was the main developer for the construction of the Alaskan Pipeline, bringing natural gas to the rest of the U.S.

James enjoyed golf, both playing and watching it. His favorite place to be was on the golf course or on the beach at Seabrook Island, S.C., where he helped organized the HOA. He also was a big Ohio State fan and enjoyed watching football.

He always wanted to be remembered as a “nice guy”. He has certainly earned that title and beyond. At age 9, he found a wallet with $100 in it, returned it to it’s owner and was featured on the front page of the newspaper for being an “honest boy”. James also once saved a woman from choking by performing the Heimlich maneuver. He was a devout Roman Catholic, who valued his faith and his family. James lovingly took care of his wife, Joan, who suffered from ALS for 13 years. He adored his grandchildren, Jason and Alexandra, who referred to him as Happy.and shared his love of golf and animals with them. James was a surrogate grandfather to the grandchildren of Lois King, whom he spent 13 loving years with. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who will be greatly missed by all who loved and knew him. His sense of humor and optimism will be remembered by those who loved him the most.

In addition to his parents, James was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Joan Lynch Talmage. He is survived by his daughter, Karen Nesbit of Dallas, Texas; grandson, Jason Nesbit of Los Angeles, CA; and granddaughter and her husband, Alexandra Nesbit and Chris Collinson of Denver, CO.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, April 26, 2019 at 11:00am in Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 5100 W. Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093, with visitation held prior to the service beginning at 10:30am. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that you donate in James' honor to the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at John Hopkins, Funds for Johns Hopkins Medicine, 550 North Broadway Suite 22, Baltimore, Maryland 21208. To send messages of condolence and fond memories, please visit www.teddickeywestfuneral.com.