James Barclay Radimer

On August 4th, 2023, Jim rode off on his Harley to meet our Lord. He was 76 years old and died peacefully in his Idaho home surrounded by his family after a long battle with Pancreatic cancer.

Born March 2nd, 1947, in Passaic New Jersey, he was the son of Charles and Lois (Martin) Radimer. He attended Northwestern Missouri State College, earning a master's degree in industrial arts and a minor in graphic design while also being president of his fraternity. It’s here where his leadership skills began.

Jim is survived by his wife “nurse good hands”, Mary Frechette, whom he married on June 24, 1978, in Tupper Lake, his sons, Luke Radimer of Boise, ID and Seth and his wife Angie Radimer of Star, ID, two granddaughters, Caitlin and Rae, who are the loves of his life, and grand pets Piper and Creek. Jim and Mary recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary.

Jim put his family first and worked hard his entire life to provide for them, always being the first to arrive, the last to leave, and never missing a day. He loved working with children and had a passion for teaching, both in and out of school. Not a day went by when he wasn’t teaching.

He taught at Tupper Lake High School for 33 years, retiring in 2003. During this time, he also built three homes for his family and around 100 homes in Tupper Lake and the surrounding area. Jim had a love for farming and gardening, was very active in the community and was loved and respected by all. He was president of the teacher’s union, a code officer, a fire inspector, ran a Ham Radio club, a member of The United Community Church, on the board of the Credit Union and helped construct sets for the school plays.

Retirement didn’t slow him down though. He loved the ocean and would drive to Florida every year, where he would be joined by his sons to camp and fish, searching for a home to retire to. After retiring to Florida, and his sons moving to Idaho, he sold the house in Tupper Lake and bought their second retirement home in Idaho.

Jim’s biggest love though was riding his Harley. After a 23-year hiatus (he sold his Harley upon getting married and having kids), and his sons graduating from college, he bought another Harley. When Mary retired, they rode cross-country every year from their Florida home, touring the country, visiting the National Parks, and of course Sturgis had to be part of the trip. He has quite a collection of HOG and rally pins and patches from Laconia, Americade, Daytona and Sturgis.

And he never stopped teaching. At the pool he took on teaching his grandchildren to swim. He took up pickle ball to play with his wife and children and was on the courts teaching everyone how to play. He also loved his country, and he loved the rodeo; he would take the family every year to Patriotic night.

Jim leaves a big void in the hearts of all who knew him.

Jim is survived by his brothers Brad (Jeanne) Radimer and Todd (Faith ) Radimer, sisters Janet (Kevin) Wilkerson and Joann Hooper and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, Charles and Lois Radimer and his sister Nancy (Jack) Ryan.

A Celebration of Life service will take place at 4p.m. on Thursday, September 7th, at Southside Boulevard United Methodist Church, 5420 Southside Boulevard, Nampa, ID, 83686.This service will be livestreamed. The family also plans to have a Celebration of Life in Tupper Lake summer of 2024.