JAMES CHRIST MARICH

OCTOBER 17,1925 – AUGUST 21, 2020

Jim was born in Chicago, Illinois

on October 17, 1925 to Stephanie

(Stella) Marich (nee Wolak) and

Jacob Peter (Jack) Marich. Jim was

the first of six children born to Jack

and Stella.

Upon graduation from Tilden

Technical High School in June,

Jim enlisted in the U.S Army Air

Corps to become a pilot. Through

an unusual set of circumstances, he instead

wound up trained as a B-29 Flight Engineer,

serving in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

Discharged in October 1945, he returned to

Chicago and went to work for Johnson and

Johnson Surgical Dressings where he met Jane

Brown, the love of his life. In September,1947

they married and Jim enrolled at the

University of Illinois, where he received his

BS degree in Mechanical Engineering in

1951. He took a position with Sundstrand

Machine Tool Company of Rockford, Illinois,

later transferring to the Sundstrand Aviation

Division. In a career spanning 40 years, he

worked for several divisions of the company,

finally retiring in 1991 from Sundstrand Data

Control, his final assignment.

Over the years, Jim enjoyed golf, watching

sporting events such as football, and

basketball at the high school and

college level, music, and theater.

He was active with Barbershop

Harmony for 18 years, singing

tenor in three quartets and

directing a barbershop chorus

for several years. Self-taught, Jim

enjoyed playing his keyboard

almost every day. He was a devoted

Rotarian, volunteer Docent at

the Seattle Museum of Flight and member

of a speakers’ club called Wranglers. Jim and

wife Jane were founding members of the

Congregational Church on Mercer Island

(United Church of Christ) and had been

members for more than 55 years.

Jim is survived by brothers William Marich

and Ronald Marich, sister Geraldine Madey

two children, David Marich (Lynn) and

Martha Hutchings (Glenn), grandchildren

Daniel Hutchings, Barbara Newby (Patrick),

Kelli Hutchings, Patrick Marich (Katie) and

great- grandchildren, Madeline and Gabriel

Newby, Molly and Tully Marich. Jim is

pre-deceased by wife Jane and sisters Alvira

Hrynko and MaryAnn Kelsey.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to

The Congregational Church on Mercer Island

or The Seattle Museum of Flight.