James William Bolten

James “Jim” W. Bolten, age 81, passed away peacefully at home in Pasco, on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

Jim was born in a private residence in Lewiston on Dec. 13, 1941, to John L. and Margie Bolten of Lewiston. Jim attended public school in Lapwai early on and then Lewiston High School through 1959.

In 1960, Jim began a 3-year hitch in the United States Army, serving as a gunner in the 105 Howitzer battalion, and was honorably discharged as the company clerk in December 1962 while stationed at Fort Lewis in Tacoma. During his period of military service, Jim married his high school sweetheart, Jean Sudbrink of Lewiston, class of 1961. In October of 1961, Jim and Jean had a baby girl (Debbie), followed by a baby boy (John) in December 1962, just after being honorably discharged from the Army.

Following the Army, Jim received a certificate in Civil Engineering in 1965 on the GI Bill. After briefly working for the U.S. Forest Service as a surveyor, Jim went to work for a private utility contractor Hughes Construction, Inc., based in Pasco which eventually became Hughes-Sillers Construction. In 1968, Jim and Jean welcomed their third child (Chris) into the world in Hood River, Ore., while building an earth dam for irrigation. Jim worked his way up the ladder at Hughes-Sillers, becoming a renowned job construction superintendent and eventually vice president of the company.

During the early years of working for Hughes-Sillers Construction Jim, Jean and the children lived in numerous towns in the Pacific Northwest while Jim built numerous projects that included earth dams, water-sewer treatment plants, fish hatcheries, irrigation systems, roads, industrial buildings, etc. You name it and Jim could build it.

However, after moving 29 times with the family in tow, Jim and Jean decided to put down roots in the Tri-Cities, in the unincorporated town of Finley, outside of Kennewick in 1974. In Finley, Jim worked on his own personal construction project developing a raw acre parcel by installing a well, a septic system, timed irrigation, a shop, large garden and a huge yard doing most of the work himself. Jim and Jean ending up living in Finley for the next 47 years, until recently in 2021, when they moved to Pasco.

After leaving Hughes-Sillers in 1992, Jim also worked for Apollo, Construction in Kennewick. While at Apollo, Jim had building projects mostly in the local Tri-Cities area, including Hanford. Jim ended his career with Anderson-Perry Engineering consultants, based in Walla Walla, putting fear into local contractors as a shrewd engineering inspector for thirteen years, until his retirement in 2011. Work and construction were Jim’s passion and calling. He touched the lives of countless people in the Pacific Northwest, building things that people needed to live, whether one knew it or not.

Jim was a very reserved, private and simple man with a unique, dry sense of humor. You just never knew sometimes what would come out of his mouth, using quick wit or associations of seemingly unrelated facts. The Irish flared up in him occasionally (temper), but under that façade was a marshmallow who cared deeply about his family and would work tirelessly to ensure they had whatever they needed. Jim was a ferocious reader and crossword puzzle fanatic, who loved his pig skin munchies and chocolate orange sticks.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, John (1980), Margie (2012) and his oldest sister Mary Jane (1968). Jim is survived by his wife Jean (married 62 years), daughter Debbie Krouse, of Pasco, son John Bolten (Rhonda) of Lewiston, son Chris Bolten (Tina), of Kennewick, sister Donna Ernsdorff (Ed), of Lewiston, brother Doug Bolten (Fonda), of Lewiston, nephews, Ricky Storey, of Hillsboro, Ore., Rusty Storey, of Lewiston, Matt Ernsdorff, of Lewiston and niece Bethany Ernsdorff, of Lewiston. Jim is also survived by five grandchildren, Cassandra, Nicole, Zack, Levi and Chloe, and three great-granddaughters, Clara, Julia and Olivia.

A viewing will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 23, in the chapel at Mountain View Funeral Home, 3521 Seventh St., Lewiston. His memorial will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 24, in the chapel followed by a graveside service with military honors, at Lewis-Clark Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Lewiston. Refreshments will be served immediately after the graveside service.