James "Jim" Lowell Hames' Obituary
James “Jim” Lowell Hames, age 80, passed away peacefully at home on June 13, 2026, with his wife of 47 years at his side along with other loved ones only eight days after being diagnosed with leukemia.
Jim was born on January 7, 1946, in Violet Hill, Arkansas. He moved to the Sacramento area in 1951, settled in Rio Linda in 1952 where he met his life-long friend (also named Jim), and graduated from Rio Linda High School in 1964.
He is survived by his spouse, DeDe; his 5 daughters: Kristin and her husband, Mark; Noelle; Toni and her husband, Andy; Stacy, and Masha; 13 grandchildren: Andrew and his wife, Alexis; David and his longtime girlfriend, Courtni; Joey and his longtime girlfriend, Meghri; Daniel and his fiancé, Angelina; Jacob and his longtime girlfriend, Heidi; Alex; Chris and his wife, Amy; Nick and his wife, Shawntel; Cassie and her husband, Justin; Myranda and her husband, Brady; Matthew; Mark; and Sofia; 9 great grandchildren: Audriana, Jude, Gemma, Kaitlyn, Isabella, Avery, Jayden, Leon, and Sage; and his sister, Frances. He was preceded in death by his parents Lowell and Pearl and his younger brother Gary.
He worked many jobs over his lifetime and was willing to take on whatever job helped to provide for his family. He started working for the State of California in 1985 and retired in October 2004.
Jim was very artistic, and his interests varied throughout his life to include jewelry making, painting, drawing, photography, and woodworking. Given his many talents, he made matching wedding rings for his marriage to DeDe in 1978. He gifted many treasures to family and friends, including wood carvings, a vast collection of hand-made knives, and pens he crafted himself.
His love of fishing led him to buy several boats over the years including three houseboats on Lake Oroville. It was there he taught most of his grandsons how to fish and water ski, spent countless hours tubing, and created years of fond memories with family and friends. Beyond the lake, Jim also loved the ocean. He and DeDe spent their honeymoon in Fort Bragg during the lean years and returned often. They also went on several cruises and took many trips to Hawaii and Cabo San Lucas. On these trips he was easy-going and willing to do anything his wife or family wanted to do, but he mostly loved sitting on the balcony with a cold beer and a smoke.
In August 1993, Jim and DeDe hosted their first of many exchange students enhancing their lives immeasurably. Their first exchange student, Masha, is his fifth daughter in every sense of the word. He also maintained a relationship with Flavia, Fernanda, and Carin through the years visiting two of the girls from Brazil on three occasions.
He will be remembered for his willingness to lend a hand. He always answered the call when someone’s car broke down, someone needed help with a project, or assistance moving, including a few cross-country moves. Jim touched the lives of many and will be deeply missed.
Jim had a soft spot for animals, and many of the pets who shared his life over the years were rescues he gave a second chance. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Placer SPCA (https://placerspca.org).
A celebration of life will be held at 1:30 pm on August 2, 2026, at McBean Pavillion located at 65 McBean Park Dr, Lincoln, CA 95648.
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