James Matthews 12/11/2019

James Edward Matthews was born on February 27, 1937 in Luton, England. He fell in love with airplanes in general and the Spitfire in particular by the time he was 10. He watched in awe as the beautiful plane defended Britain and won the respect and admiration of his countrymen and the world. The war was hard on his family, which, faced destruction of their home, displacement of their members, general deprivation, and the occasional stark terror. He vowed that he would fly and joined every organization that could possibly give him the opportunity to do so. Along the way, he met a fellow enthusiast name Brian and together they haunted every runway, airfield, grass strip, and hanger in Great Britain, seeking knowledge and experience with their favored contraption. After the war, James moved to the United States with his family, eventually joining the Unites States Airforce and earning his private pilot’s license on his own. He developed other interests, but the flying bug never strayed far from his mind. Eventually, he earned the change to go to helicopter flight school, where he earned the training that would help him “fly fulltime for most of my life.”
Jim died on December 11, 2019 at his home in River Falls, WI, after a four-decade struggle with ataxia, tremors, and other movement disorders. He fought endless frustration as his balance, stamina, mobility, and ability to swallow were slowly stolen from him. In difficult times, however, he always said “Yes” when asked if life was still worth living.
Jim was married to Jane Kinder for 58 years. They were the parents of two daughters and grandparents of four grandchildren. He also has numerous other relatives throughout the United States and England.
A Celebration of Life was held Monday, December 16, 2019 at 11:30am at Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services (805 E Division St.) in River Falls with a visitation starting at 10:00am. Military honors were performed by the American Legion Post 121. Interment will be in Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner, WI. Arrangements are with Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services.