James Byrum Arnsburger 88, died Jan. 17, 2006 at Whidbey Island Manor after a brief illness.

He was born on April 24, 1917 in Rigby, Idaho to Mabel and James Arnsberger, the first of their five children. The family lived on a farm and Jim related many stories of farm life, of herding sheep and attending a country school. He developed a lifelong interest in reading, especially of history as well as current events. He graduated from Ririe High School in 1935 as the class valedictorian.

Since all of Jim’s records were destroyed in a fire in 1991 that burned his house to the ground, it is difficult to account for some of his activities prior to his beginning his long Civil Service career with the Postal Department. However, by 1940, he was in Washington, D.C., employed in the U.S. Census Bureau. In 1941 his long postal career began in Montana, interrupted by World War II, when he served from 1942-1946 as an Aerial Navigation Officer in the U. S. Air Force in the South Pacific. During this time he completed over 50 bombing missions and earned the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and four campaign stars. In 1950, he was recalled to active duty with the USAF during the Korean War and served for two years as radar observer on the staff of the B-29 wing. From 1952 until his retirement in 1972, he was a Postal Official, serving in various parts of the country. In 1960, he was appointed Confidential Assistant to the Postmaster General for Postal Operations.

Jim retired to Whidbey Island in 1972 and built his first house on West Beach. In 1976 he commenced building his home on Jones Road. During this period of time he also became very active in the Oak Harbor community. He was selected as Citizen of the Year in 1980. He was involved with United Way, as board member, campaign chairman and board president; North Whidbey Chamber of Commerce president; served on the County Park Board, Freeholders Committee, School Bond Committee, Northwest Regional Council on Aging, Whidbey Task Force, and Human Services Advisory Board.

In the 1980’s Jim became chairman of the steering committee for obtaining federal grants to build the Senior Center and in 1986 had the honor of cutting the ribbon at the dedication ceremony. He was business coordinator for many years of Island Thrift, president of the Audubon Society for three years, on the Library Board and the Private Industry Council Board. He worked diligently in many capacities to make Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island a beautiful and environmentally friendly community.

Jim’s home on Jones Road was his private sanctuary where he could nourish his love of nature. February and the first blossoms on the wild current bushes brought on a flurry of preparation as he watched for the first hummingbirds to arrive. The following months were dedicated to feeding the many hummingbirds for whom he felt a personal responsibility.

From his early youth, dogs were an important part of his life and until the day he died, he had a dog. Each dog had a special place in his affections.

In 1941, Jim married Flora Carotta. They had one daughter, Patricia Imholt of Oak Harbor. Flora died in 1988 and in 1992, he married an old friend Katherine “Katy” Duval. She died in 2002 and in 2003 he and Marilyn Anderson were married.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Fred and by his wives, Flora and Katy. He is survived by his daughter Pat, his wife Marilyn and her children, Bruce and Colleen, Mark, Duane and Margaret, and Carol and Dean. His sisters, Ruth Stone of Ririe, Idaho, and Nellie Landon of Paige, Ariz., brother Paul Arnsberger, Ririe, Idaho, and many nieces and nephews and a host of dear friends.

In lieu of flowers, Jim would have more appreciated a donation in his memory to WAIF (Whidbey Animal Improvement Foundation) or to the Audubon Society. One of Jim’s favorite quotations has been: “If a man has integrity, nothing else matters. If a man doesn’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

Memorial services for Jim Arnsberger will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 3 p.m. at the Whidbey Presbyterian Church with Pastor Dave Templin officiating. A reception will follow. Cremation was entrusted to Burley Funeral Chapel, Oak Harbor.