James Kirby Lee

Our beloved, James Kirby Lee, 78, passed away peacefully at his home in Pocatello, Idaho on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Kirby was born in Welda, Kansas on October 3, 1934 to Melvin Earl Lee and Marjorie Lenore Smith. He was raised and attended schools in Kansas, including Kansas State and the University of Kansas. He graduated from the Kansas State University with a Civil Engineering degree and the Jayhawks were his favorite team from then on.

After graduation Kirby went to work for the U.S. Forest Service as a forest engineer. There he planned roads, dams and bridges in various areas of the country, including Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, California and Idaho. Early in his career he was selected and sent to Puerto Rica for 3 months to lend his expertise to them with some of their engineering projects. After 33 years with the U.S. Forest Service he retired from the Boise National Forest Service. During his last year at the Boise National Forest, he felt very honored to be asked to act as the Forest Supervisor during the months of transition to fill the position of a new Forest Supervisor.

In Boise he met his sweetheart, Thelma (Harris) Scoggin . They were married in Maui, Hawaii in 1984. They were fortunate to take many lovely trips together to Maui (twice, their wedding and later a son's wedding), St. Martens, the Grand Cayman Islands and Australia and North and South New Zealand to name a few.

Kirby was an active member of the Elks Lodge for many years.

He loved sports. He played basketball and baseball throughout his high school and college years and always seemed to be playing in a local baseball and basketball league until he retired.

He and Thelma moved from Boise to Sedona, AZ in 1994 where he played golf 5 mornings a week with a group of dear friends. Three 'Hole-in-one' trophies were proudly displayed on the fireplace mantle. He always kept a beautiful, immaculate lawn and garden as one of his many hobbies. He and Thelma loved gardening together.

He enjoyed bass and trout fishing, and each year, while in Boise and Sedona, spent a week camping and fishing on Lake Powell with a group of his friends and enjoyed quail hunting with his Kansas high school classmate and Forest Service friend. He pursued wood carving as a hobby and leaves us with many lovely reminders of his talent.

In 2004, Kirby and Thelma moved to beautiful Grants Pass, Oregon and lived on 6 1/2 enchanting, wooded acres in the lush forest until 2011. He became a talented photographer over the years and provided us with hundreds of personal and wildlife photos that he so patiently waited about and snapped; deer, foxes, wild turkeys, racoons, to name a few, as they arrived on the scene. He loved all the beauty of nature that the outdoors provided. He was a bird-lover and faithfully kept six feeders filled to entice them to his yard. They came in droves.

He is survived by; his wife, Thelma Lee, Pocatello; sister, Jan Holland, San Jose, CA; step children; Steven Scoggin, Durango, Co, Eric & Amanda Scoggin, Overland Park, KS, Geoff & Eadie Scoggin, Pocatello; ten grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Kirby is loved by many and his sweet smile and gentle loving personality will be missed forever.

As per his request no services will be held.