James Zickler

James Zickler passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 5, 2022. He was born on January 14, 1936 in Portland, Oregon, to Ben and Evelyn Zickler. The family eventually moved to Ellensburg, where Jim grew up and graduated from high school in 1954. He attended college briefly before serving in the Navy for two years. Jim then followed his parents and siblings to Moses Lake, where Ben had begun farming. There he met Barbara Hagen, the love of his life. They were married for over 61 years and had four children, Teresa, Paul, Pamela, and Patrick.

Jim held many different jobs, including firefighting, but he was able to fulfill a lifelong dream when he took over his father's farm in the mid-1970's and moved the family to Block 40, where they lived for several years. After retiring from farming, Jim continued to pursue his great passions: fishing, woodworking, birdwatching, and following his favorite sports teams. Even more importantly, he made the time to serve as babysitter, advisor, teacher and mentor for his grandchildren.

Jim was known for his mischievous sense of humor, toughness in the face of hardship, and ability to fix just about anything. He gained wisdom from a life of ups and downs and offered sage advice: "Live and let live, and use a little common sense." "Stay on the path, if you wander too far off, you'll end up in the ditch." He held onto a personal faith in God, expressed just a few days before he passed, when he told his family, "Christ said whither thou goest, there go I, so I guess I've got nothing to worry about."

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ben and Evelyn, and his daughter, Teresa. Jim is survived by his wife, Barbara; siblings Larey Zickler, Mary Watterson, Bert Zickler, and Howard Zickler; children Paul Zickler, Pam Tunstall, and Pat Zickler; and grandchildren Colleen Zickler, Miranda Zickler, Colby Happer, Drew Happer, and Kaya Zickler.