James Apple Obituary

James "Jim" Lowell Apple, Jr.
Oct. 22, 1945 ~ Dec. 20, 2014
Resident of Oringa
James "Jim" Lowell Apple, Jr. Born October, 22 1945 and passed away peacefully on December 20, 2014. Son of the late Bette and James Lowell Apple. Beloved father of Amy Apple and her husband Rob Cohen. Older brother to Jane Reeder and John Apple. Grandfather of Max, Tessa and Zachary. Proud Uncle of Andrew Reeder, Daniel Reeder, John Apple, Ben Apple and Samantha Apple.Jim Graduated from Colonel White High School in Dayton, Ohio in 1963 where he was Junior and Senior Class President. Jim graduated from Purdue University in 1968 with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering where he was Freshman Class President and a Member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. Jim was invited back to Purdue to lecture to students on entrepreneurship. After Purdue, Jim served in the US Army as an officer and forward observer in Vietnam. After his service in the US Army, Jim worked in many different business environments, always with the spirit of an entrepreneur. Jim moved to the Bay Area in 1971 to work at National Cash Register (NCR) selling early computer systems. Jim started his real estate career in the 1980s at Cushman and Wakefield in the Bay Area after which he launched into a variety of entrepreneurial pursuits. Jim led a partnership that turned around a declining shopping center in Napa now known as Napa Town Center, developed a successful office building complex in Salt Lake City and built the Sedona Rouge Hotel in Sedona, Arizona. Jim used his promotion skills to create a chef's market at the Napa Town Center. Jim met one of the chef's market food vendors through this event and this partnership with John Pickerel was created to launch the chain of restaurants now well known in the Bay Area as Buckhorn Grill. Jim lived life to the fullest. He was an excellent chef and developed recipes which were legendary to his friends who had the privilege to enjoy them. He was a long-time member of the Orinda Country Club, avid traveler and outdoorsman. He was a fly fisherman. It has been said that women loved him as much as fish feared him. His friends from every phase of his life knew his humanity and loved him. There was no greater friend, father, sibling or grandfather than Jim Apple. Private services will be held at a later date.