Ernest Claire James, Jr.

JAMES, ERNEST (ERNIE) CLAIRE Jr. - Passed away on February 2 in Santa Rosa, CA. Ernie is survived by his wife of 68 years, Faith, daughter & son, Nikki and Jamie, 3 Grandchildren, Jessica, Rob and Ryan, 2 Great Grandchildren, Kyra and Ben, and brother, Bob. Ernie, eighth of Ernest and Cora James's nine children, was born in Ord, Nebraska on April 23, 1920. He enlisted in the California National Guard in 1940. SSGT James patrolled the California coast before completing OCS and being assigned to Plattsburg, NY. Here he joined the 238th Engineer Combat Battalion and met his future wife Faith Montani. Ernie landed on Utah Beach early morning on D-Day. The 238th took part in the St. Lo Breakthrough, Falise Gap Battle, Operation Cobra, capture of Paris, Battle of the Bulge, Roer and Rhine river crossings. They were instrumental in the liberation of the concentration/slave labor camps at Nordhausen and Dora-Mittenbau. He has lectured extensively on keeping the memory of holocaust alive that it may never happen again. The National Holocaust Museum has made a video tape of his experiences, which is played when the Museum is open. After the war Ernie married Faith then was graduated from U.C. Berkeley in Civil Engineering. Ernie's career included 32 years with the State of California where he took part in the design of over 200 bridges and eventually became chief of Civil design for the California State Water Project, After retirement, he worked for private engineering firms in Saudi Arabia and Egypt doing studies of the infra-structure of several Egyptian and Saudi cities. In 1989 after the Loma Prieta Earthquake, Ernie coordinated engineering evaluations between the State and Federal Governments, and made a study on Catastrophic Response to Disasters for the State. After a long career Ernie and Faith officially retired and moved to Santa Rosa in 2000 to enjoy spending time with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Family and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass on Friday, February 7, 2014 at 11:00 A.M. at Star of the Valley Catholic Church (545 White Oak Drive, Santa Rosa [Oakmont], CA, 95409). Private interment with Military Honors; Calvary Catholic Cemetery (2930 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa, CA, 95404). As an expression of sympathy, the family has asked if you are so inclined to make a donation to Wounded Warrior Project, woundedwarriorproject.org; 877-832-6997.