James Short Obituary

James A. Short was born at home in the little town of Isabel, Kansas to James A. Short, Sr. and Margaret Winifred Statton Short. The third of four children in a loving, tight knit family, his peripatetic childhood moving amongst the oil patch towns of Oklahoma and Texas was but a prelude to a lifetime of travel.

Jim adored his older sisters, Jean (Purcell) and Peggy (Jones) and doted on his much younger brother, Bill. Inspired by his parents' simple virtues he endeavored all his life to be a good, kind man. He was a man of quiet dignity whose honesty and integrity were deeply ingrained. Many people were the recipients of his unassuming generosity.

At the age of 19, he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps to become a B-17 pilot. After training at many US bases he was sent to Deenethorpe, England. After his only bombing run Germany surrendered (proof, he said, that they should have sent him over sooner). After flights repatriating former French POWs he was sent back to the US to train on the B-24, bound for the Pacific but Japan's surrender soon thereafter ended his military career.

Jim met his future wife, Helen Cobb, in China, Texas when he was 13 and she was 11. But he liked to say he didn't marry her right away. Their wedding, on January 30, 1946, was the start of a lifetime of love and companionship that inspired many people. Their lives touched countless people around the world with their selfless examples of Christian love. Her passing on December 23, 2014 left him bereft but his memories of her sustained him.

He was a proud graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Petroleum Engineering. This led to a long career in the oil fields of Texas and Louisiana. His work with Pan American Oil Co. kept him in New Orleans for 11 years, where his three children were born. Deciding to expand his horizons he joined Amoco in 1968. Transferring to Chicago, he settled his family in Naperville, IL until going overseas in 1970. Living in Port of Spain and Mayaro, Trinidad, Tehran and Cairo, the Short family had many adventures. He learned to ski in Iran, snorkeled the reefs of the Caribbean and hiked the entire John Muir Trail.

No matter where he lived in the world, Colorado has always been home. He retired to Colorado Springs after his last posting in Denver. He was happiest at the cabin in the mountains West of Colorado Springs that his family purchased in 1965. He was a mountain man whose heart soared when he was in his beloved Rockies. His goal was to climb all the Fourteeners but he started too late in life and had to stop after bagging 28.

Jim Short is survived by his children: Sharon (Christopher) Iversen, Susan McKnight (fiancé Don Whitman), and James A. (Brenda) Short Jr. His cherished grandchildren are Nicole Plowman and Travis Short.

In recognition of his love of the National Park Service, donations may be made in his memory to NationalParks.org