James "Jim" Plamondon

James (Jim) Plamondon was born in Olympia, Washington to Harriet and Ralph Plamondon. The Plamondon family moved to the Laurelhurst neighborhood in Portland, Oregon during Jim's teenage years. Jim later raised his own family down the street from the house he grew up in.

Jim was passionate about education, and dedicated his professional life to teaching in the Portland Public School system. Never one to rest, he spent summers off painting houses. Retirement followed decades of fond memories of students and colleagues. His desire to learn transcended the standard curriculum. History held particular interest for him and he also studied Russian language. He was drawn to the Eastern European culture, visiting the former Soviet Union twice and making many friends in the Russian community in Portland.

He was active in his younger years, running marathons and competing in handball tournaments throughout Oregon. His love of sports extended to football and the Portland Trailblazers. He was an avid photographer and videographer. He spent hours photographing and filming family and dear friends, frequently documenting races, outings and parties. Old 8mm cameras without sound were no deterrent to his creativity. He would carefully sync his movies to favorite songs on vinyl records to capture the mood of the film.

Jim peacefully passed at Emanuel Hospital surrounded by his children and grandchildren. He is preceded in death by father Ralph, mother Harriet, sister Mary Kay and brother Scott. He is survived by sister Susan, sons Jason and Matthew, daughter Sarah, grandchildren Taylor, Chloe, Hannah and Mitch, and niece Kristen and nephew Kory.