Charles James Trickey

Born April 2, 1923
Died December 8, 2014

C. J. “Jim” Trickey was born on April 2, 1923 in the back of a country store in Nashville, Tennessee. His family moved to Wichita, Kansas when he was an infant. Along with his sisters Nel, Betty and Helen (known as “Susie”), and his younger brother Joe, he suffered through the Great Depression there.

 
He dropped out of high school at 15 to go to work carrying glass bottles in wooden racks for Coca-Cola. He was proud of the muscles he developed doing that job. He turned 18 in 1941, the year the United States entered World War II. He went into the Army, ending up in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific. He trained as a radar technician for B-29 bombers. He served on Guam and Tinian. He eventually starting flying along on missions, which for his unit meant photo-reconnaissance. He survived the brutal fighting on Iwo Jima.

After the war, he came back to Wichita, getting his high school diploma and attending college while working as a draftsman at Boeing. He met and married Marion Thompson, the love of his life, in 1949. He was recalled to active duty during the Korean War, as part of the newly formed Strategic Air Command. He flew as crew in B-36s.

He returned to Wichita, where he was an engineer at Boeing. He and Marion had two children, Mike and Marsha. In 1963, he was transferred to Seattle, buying a house in Bellevue. He liked the Northwest and taught himself how to downhill ski. He retired in 1989. He lifted weights and rode bikes for many years. Marion predeceased him in 2007.

Jim was skilled with his hands, fixing anything. He enjoyed working on cars. His grandchildren, Anne and Lynn remember him as a physically tough and loving man. He spent time with them, showing them how to take machines apart and how to play games on his computer. He always enjoyed a good meal and dinner conversation. He was a man with standards. He was loved and will be missed.

 
The family held a private service for him on December 23rd. He is survived by Mike (Lois), Marsha (Teri), Anne and Lynn.