James E. Krentz

1921 - 2020

SAN DIEGO — James E. Krentz left us on June 28th after 98 years chock-full of living. He was born and raised in southern Arizona just east of Bisbee on the family cattle ranch, The Spear E, in the town of Douglas. He attended the University of Arizona briefly before enlisting in WWII.

As a member of the Greatest Generation, he was assigned to the Army Air Corps 366th Fighter Group and survived the Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. The prestigious Belgium Fourragere was among the decorations and citations he received for his wartime service. “There’s lots of air shows, and I always look for P-47 Thunderbolts. That’s the type of fighter plane my group used. Such a wonderful aircraft!”

After the war, he repaired teletype machines in Korea and Japan. In 1951 he returned to visit his Dad, who was now ill and living in Tucson. There he and met and married Naomi and settled in the San Francisco Bay area in the town of San Mateo. They were married for 65 years until her death in 2016. They raised three daughters Kathryn,

Deborah, and Therese. He worked as an electrical engineer for the Navy Civil Service for 44 years, the last few decades in San Diego. He was one of the many workers who modernized the USS Midway in 1966. He was so thrilled to tour the decommissioned ship again, when it became a museum here in San Diego.

He loved prospecting and taught school children how to pan for gold. He demonstrated gold panning at the San Diego County Fair for the Southwestern Prospectors and Miners Association every year until late in his 80s.

A biography, Borderland Chronicles #40, written by Douglas historian Cindy Hayostek three years before his death, describes a summation of his life through letters he had written in his later years. Growing up in the Great Depression, he built his own car made out of parts he found in the junkyard when he was in the 8th grade. Every morning before school, he delivered milk to pay for the gas. “I’ve been just plain happy and full of joy. Each night and every morning, I tell God about the many things I’m thankful for,” James told Ms. Hayostek in 2017.

James was a prime example of the ideals and values of the Greatest Generation. He was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery on July 20th in a private ceremony. His favorite charity has always been Father Joe’s Villages. Please sign the Guest Book online obituaries.sandiegouniontribune.com