Obituaries
James (Jim) Emmet Boyd, retired District 1 engineer
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost.
James (Jim) Emmet Boyd passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on Thursday, April 9 in Emmett, Idaho.
Jim was born on March 25, 1943, in Hope, Arkansas. Jim’s family moved to Eureka in 1955. He was active in band in junior and senior high school, then in his senior year, he switched from band to choir, where he was the president of choir. He also ran track in high school, then went on to race in various local long-distance races throughout his life.
Jim graduated from Eureka High School in 1961. He received an Associate of Arts from College of the Redwoods and briefly attended Cal Poly University for engineering.
Jim married Linda Claire (Ripley) Durant on June 10, 1961, and they shared 49 years of marriage until her passing. Jim subsequently married Ivey Lee Bryant on May 4, 2012, and they shared nine years together until her passing.
Jim worked at Simpson Plywood Mill, Humboldt Fire District #1, Redwood Acres Fairgrounds and Caltrans District 1 and retired from Caltrans in 1998.
Jim was a loving and devoted husband, father, papa and friend. His proudest moments were meeting his wife Linda, singing with his brother Dean at the Miss Humboldt Pageant and rebuilding his 1937 Chevy. Jim’s achievements included running the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in 1981, with a finish time of 3 hours, 18 minutes, 11 seconds, earning a 25-year award from Caltrans, being a 54-year member of Elks Lodge #652 and a member of the Methodist Church, where he sang tenor in the choir.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Volmer Boyd and Geneva Boyd; his wife Linda Boyd; his wife Ivey Bryant-Boyd; his brothers Dean Boyd, Wayne Boyd and Perry Boyd; his granddaughter Hannah Boyd; and his great-grandson Maximus Buck. His memories will be carried by his children Sherri Olson and James K. Boyd; grandchildren Amanda Christensen, Amelia Buck, Erica Gillam and Jocelyn Boyd; and great-grandchildren Joshua Lamberson-Adams, Devany Christensen, Alexis Buck, Adelynn Christensen, Joanna Buck and Sterling Gillam.
Russell Vernon Lee Jr., retired engineer
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost.
Russell Vernon Lee Jr. passed away peacefully on March 18 at the age of 83, in Eureka.
Russ was born April 7, 1942, in Berkeley to Russell Sr. and Carolyn Lee. He grew up in the Napa Valley and Bay Area of Northern California and had one younger sister, Karen. Russ went to several different schools, which often made him the new kid in school. The last school he attended was Calistoga High School in Calistoga.
Leaving home and school at the age of 15 on a crazy adventure with a friend, Russ jumped trains across the United States, working on a horse ranch in Colorado, operating a dump truck in Texas (until they found out he was underage), and ultimately ending up in Florida.
After his adventure, at age 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Russ spent a lot of his tour of duty in France.
On March 8, 1962, while getting ready to board a C-130 for a training exercise out of Evreux Air Base, he gave up his seat to a fellow soldier, 20-year old James Waples. The plane crashed in the Ecouves forest, and all 15 occupants were killed.
After his discharge in New York, he drove back home across the U.S. to California. During this trip, Russ planned several stops to collect debts. You see, while in the Army, he became somewhat of a “loan shark” helping fellow soldiers in need. Of course, payback was part of the deal, and only one guy got away without paying.
As an adult, Russ returned to school and got his GED, followed by an AA from College of the Redwoods. He worked for Beneficial Financial and Hyster Company before starting his career at Caltrans in the early 1980s as a resident engineer in construction. Later, he transferred to Traffic Operations so he could be home more and watch his boys’ baseball and football games.
Russ retired from Caltrans in 2005 after 23 years of state service. He was a member of the Eureka Elks Lodge and Eureka Moose Lodge.
In the early 1960s Russ was married and had a son, Brian. In 1967, he met Joan Cunningham at a mutual friend’s house, and they were married on Jan. 1,1970, in Carson City, Nevada. In 1974, Russ and Joan were blessed with their twin sons, Scott and Ryan.
He loved going hunting and fishing with his boys. Time spent at the Cottrell Ranch was a favorite of his. Russ was a good athlete who fell in love with golf later in life.
Russ was preceded in death by his parents, Russell Lee Sr. and Carolyn McDonald; sister, Karen Chalhoub; and brother-in-law, Pat Gaskill. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Joan Cunningham Lee; his twin sons, Scott Lee and Ryan Lee, and estranged son, Brian Lee, and his mother Pam; his grandsons, Braedon Lee (Mary) and Jordan Lee; and his great granddaughters, Lyla Lee-Murillo and newborn Marlowe Lee-Murillo born 3/19/26, the day after Russ passed. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, June Gaskill, and brother-in-law, Gary Cunningham (Lynn); nieces, Leanne Johnson (Jeff) and Melissa Bode (Ryan); nephews, Robbie Cunningham (Brandi) and Ron Harvey; and numerous great nieces and nephews.
James Amador Peña, retired transportation engineer
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost.
Retired transportation engineer James Amador Peña, 74, of Eureka passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 7. James was born on July 22, 1951, in Edna, Texas, to Virginia and Amador Peña.
As a young boy, his mother, Virginia Young, and stepfather, Al Young, moved him to Ukiah, where he later graduated from Ukiah High School. After high school, he joined the United States Navy, serving as an ordnance mechanic.
Following his service, he attended Chico State University, where he earned a bachelor of science in business administration. He went on to work as an accountant in Oakland. Eventually, seeking a quieter life outside the city, he began a long career with Caltrans, where he worked his way up from surveyor to transportation engineer.
He is survived by his two children, Spencer Peña and Tyler Peña.
Jim loved adventure and was always traveling to new and exciting places. He enjoyed scuba diving and camping, often camping year-round. He was also very involved in both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, dedicating much of his time to supporting those programs.
In his younger years, he enjoyed running and cycling and was an active member of the Six Rivers Running Club. He even completed the Tour of the Unknown Coast. In his later years, he devoted much of his time to volunteering and was an active member of the Knights of Columbus.