James Glenn Elliott

We are profoundly saddened to note the passing of James Glenn Elliott on May 5, 2017 at the age of 92 at his home in Sun City West, AZ. James was born in Devil's Lake, ND on December 21, 1924, the youngest of 5 children of Rosa Wittkopf Elliott and Jay John Elliott.Following his high school graduation in 1942, his father paid James $50 for a summer of farm work. When farm work was finished, James set off for the state of Washington to seek his fortune. There he took a job building ships for the growing war effort, and was soon drafted. Before being sent overseas, he married his high school sweetheart Marjorie Helen Berg in Tacoma, WA in February, 1943. Marj had traveled by train from North Dakota for their wedding. They were married for 67 years until her death in 2010. During World War II James served in the Army's Navy in Papua New Guinea and in other locations in the Pacific Theater. He was credited with shooting down an attacking airplane that was threatening to sink his ship, for which he received a medal for bravery in combat.Following the war, he attended the University of North Dakota on the G.I. Bill and played fullback on the University football team. Upon graduation James accepted a teaching job in Winona, MN. There he coached football, basketball and baseball at Winona High School for many years, and taught mathematics in the junior high school. While teaching and coaching James also found time to earn Master's degrees in Education and Physical Education from Winona State University.Jim and Marj were happy to raise daughters, Susan, Joy, and Tami, in Winona, a small Mississippi river town, teaching them to value family, hard work, knowledge, art and sports. James was an avid sports fan all of his life, with special love for the New York Yankees, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Gopher teams of the University of Minnesota. He also enjoyed playing golf and bridge with friends, time spent with his dear wife and family, and sour cream raisin pie and other desserts. James was preceded in death by his wife Marjorie Helen (Berg) Elliott and by sons-in-law Robert Baucke and Stanford Goodman. He is survived by his three daughters, Susan Baucke, Joy Elliott, and Tami Goodman; grandchildren Jordan and Evan Baucke, and Mark and James Adler; and son-in-law Robin Adler.As one of his fellow bridge players commented, "Jim wasn't a good guy, he was a great guy." He is deeply missed by his friends and family. Please visit www.caminodelsol.com to share memories and photos of James on his tribute wall.