James Rollin Charbonneau Obituary (1942 - 2020)

Born Jun 11, 1942, James Rollin Charbonneau attended Lewis And Clark High School in Spokane, WA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about James Rollin Charbonneau.

Graduation Year	Class of 1960
Date of Birth	Jun 11, 1942
Date of Passing	Jun 26, 2020
About	CHARBONNEAU, James Rollin Flew West (06-11-1942 to 06-26-2020) The family of Jim Charbonneau grieves the loss of a man who loved his family and friends and chased his dreams. A lifetime resident of Spokane, Jim built, fixed, and drove most any mobile craft man has devised except trains. He built his first boat at 12 years old, in his parent's basement on Scott Street, located on Spokane's South Hill. As the only surviving son of a Latin teacher (Lillian Charbonneau; Lewis & Clark) and a math teacher (Rollin Charbonneau; North Central High and Libby Jr. High), Jim embraced learning from the time he dismantled his first radio to the time of his last helicopter flight. He raced hydroplanes and cars for years. He approached life looking for a thrill, searching for a bargain, loving his late wife, and watching as his two daughters built strong families and careers in Oregon and Michigan respectively. Jim was frugal yet generous; methodical yet adventurous; deliberate yet passionate. He was married to Kay over 50 years before her passing in 2018; and following that loss, Jim returned to his passion for flying and added a helicopter student pilot license to the fixed wing pilot license he held since the 1980s. He had logged over 100 hours in Enstrom helicopters at the time of his death. Jim is remembered by his friends and loyal neighbors as being a man who would do anything for his family and his pets, who was living life with the excitement of a child, who would plow your driveway when you needed it, who would buy you almonds just because he saw it was your snack of choice, who would pay you extra to give his beloved dog Torrey a treat, and who would take the time to find out how your day was going. This is the story of the "Real JR" and shall live on, superseding any other published material. Jim is survived by his two daughters, Michelle Roos (Charbonneau) and Kelly Broker (Charbonneau); their spouses; 7 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; and a 6th great grandchild on the way. Jim's life will be celebrated by friends and family in August 2020.