James Kenneth Linn

James (Jim) Kenneth Linn, born in Kimball, NE December 04, 1941, passed away August 10, 2024 in the comfort of his own home at the age of 82. Friends are invited to join the family for a graveside service to be held at the Kimball Cemetery on October 11, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. A gathering will be held following the service for family and friends at the Sagebrush at 4:00 p.m. Friends may also visit http://www.cantrellfh.com to view his Tribute Wall and share stories and condolences with the family. The local services for Jim have been entrusted to the Cantrell Funeral Home.

Jim grew up in Kimball, NE. He played a trombone in the band and “blocked well” on the Kimball football team all four years of High School. Jim went to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and graduated with a bachelor then a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He had dated Kathie Halcomb in high school, and they were married June 12, 1965. They moved to Albuquerque where they had two boys, Rod and Roy, and he worked for Sandia National Laboratory for 34 years. While at Sandia he earned his Doctorate from UNM.

Jim loved the outdoors and made amazing lifelong friendships with others that shared this passion. He enjoyed camping, hunting, hiking, mountain climbing, rafting and canoeing. He was active in the New Mexico Mountain Club starting in the early 1980’s and enjoyed teaching new climbers each year! Some of the climbers he met through NMMC have remained friends long after he stopped climbing at age 75. Jim rode his bike to work at Sandia for most of his 34 years (to stay healthy), and he enjoyed the comradery of bike commuting friends all those years.

Jim began playing bridge in high school and continued every time he was home on vacation from college etc. After retirement, Jim began to avidly play again. He played bridge with various groups up to three times per week and enjoyed the wonderful people with whom he got to play. Bridge was one of his favorite things to do right up to the last several months of his life.

Jim enjoyed working with wood, making both small things i.e. puzzles and toys for kids in need, and large, sturdy pieces of furniture, which you can find in many family members’ homes. He worked with high school shop classes on occasion to make wooden gifts to be given away for Christmas.

Jim and a friend together built a log cabin for the family in Pagosa Springs, CO in 1976. This cabin became a labor of love for the next several years (i.e. electricity one summer, plumbing the next summer etc.). There was no TV and only one local radio station, so the boys played in the ditches and streams, built forts, and explored the area. The family played many games together in the evenings. This cabin was a quiet, calm, get-away for the whole family and is still being used as a “sanctuary” (with a few updates)!

Jim volunteered tutoring high school students in science and math for many years. He also volunteered preparing taxes for hundreds of people over the years under CNM and AARP programs.

Jim enjoyed participating in many activities with sons, Rod and Roy, as they were growing up such as building and fixing things, being part of father-son groups, caving, hiking, canoeing, climbing and attending soccer games. Supporting and cheering at soccer (and hockey) games continued with all three grandchildren even through the college years.

Jim was proud of his sons and grandchildren, each for their own accomplishments and their continued helpfulness to many others.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, America Rodman Linn and Kenneth Linn, sister, Grace Olsen and brother Joel Linn, nephew, Mark Olsen, and niece, Susan Olsen.

He is survived by sons, Rod Linn, of Los Alamos, and Roy Linn of Albuquerque, daughter-in-law, Kristi Keffer of Los Alamos, and grandchildren, Joseph Keffer of Phoenix, Jacqueline Linn of Ft. Collins, and Kenneth Linn of Los Alamos, niece, America Olsen Schaaf, of Seattle, and ex-wife, Kathie Linn of Albuquerque.