James Dearduff
- Jan 13
- 2 min read
James Edward Dearduff, 81, passed away Saturday, January 10th at Walnut Ridge Senior Living where he had resided for just over a year.
Jim was born August 11, 1944, in Des Moines, Iowa. He grew up in West Des Moines, graduated from Valley and later taught at Valley and raised his own children in West Des Moines. His three grandsons are proud third generation WDM graduates.
In addition to teaching Social Studies, Jim sold tickets at many of Valley's sporting events, his favorite being football.
He was a proud member of the Za-Ga-Zig Shrine. He enjoyed driving the golf carts at the fair and even went to Mexico with members of his lodge. He was an avid reader. He collected Sci-Fi books and National Geographic magazines. He also was never far from his paper white tablet and several new books. He was into genealogy and enjoyed researching and adding to his ancestry family tree. He has been able to trace ancestors back 15 generations. Jim loved to travel with his family and was always eager to plan the next trip.
Jim stayed busy even after moving to Walnut Ridge. He drove his electric wheelchair around the halls, tended to the flowers on the deck and advocated for the other residents. He always had a joke or a kind word for the nurses and aids that helped care for him.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Agda Dearduff and his sister Bettie Hampton.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 58 years, Patricia Dearduff, his children Erika (JC) Jurkiewicz and Jeremy (Vicki) Dearduff, three grandsons, Thomas and Christopher Jurkiewicz and Logan Dearduff, nieces and nephews and his pet bird, George. Jim is also survived by his two bonus daughters (exchange students from Japan) Hikaru Nagano and Mitsuko "Mickey" Nishida.
A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, January 16th at 1:00pm at Faith Lutheran Church in Clive. A Celebration of Life/ reception will follow the service.
The family would like to thank the staff at Walnut Ridge and Hospice of the Midwest for the excellent care they took with Jim in his last couple of weeks.
The family asks for no flowers instead please direct memorials in Jim's name to the Shriner's Children's hospitals.
