James Warren French

James Warren French, loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather, passed away in the early hours of Friday, Dec. 29, 2018, following a brief, unexpected illness in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Jim was born August 20, 1950, in Hastings, Neb., to Josephine (Ballard) and Donavon French. Following graduation from high school in Lincoln, Neb., and a marriage to Debra Mayhew, he served proudly in the Navy as a submariner beginning in 1969. He rose to the rank of chief petty officer and visited various ports in Europe and cruised under the polar ice cap a number of times. After an honorable discharge in 1978, Jim attended Idaho State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering in 1982. While in school he also met and fell in love with Lynne Swassing, a warm and caring school teacher. The couple was married in 1982.

After graduation he worked in the nuclear industry for the following 42 years, primarily on nuclear waste remediation. He was a key leader in writing and winning bids for several multi-billion dollar projects. His work took him to plants in Michigan, New Jersey, South Carolina and Sellafield, England and, even after retiring in 2013, he continued to work as a consultant in the industry.

Friends and family will remember Jim for his generosity, kindness, patience, love of music and legendary story-telling ability. He was the life of any party and was quick to turn strangers into friends. He spent his free time exploring local lakes on his boat, traveling around the U.S., and engineering improvements to their lovely Idaho Falls home.

He is survived by his wife of 36 years, sisters Christine (Andy) Denes, Pamela (Rick) Paul and Sharon French; children Mark (Lorraine) French, Ryan (Melanie) French and Lauren (Jonathon) DeKay, and grandchildren Ashley, Kaila, and Layne; Donavon, Arturo, Gehrig and Brianna; Lorelai, Christian, James and Emmalee. He was preceded in death by his parents Josephine (Ballard) and Donavon French.

Services will be held Friday, January 4, 2019, with a viewing at 9 a.m. followed by services and burial at 10 a.m. A reception will follow at noon. All services will be held at Wilks Funeral Home in Chubbuck, Idaho. Interment will be at Mountain View Cemetery in Pocatello, Idaho. In lieu of sending flowers, please consider donating blood with the American Red Cross, as we know Jim would have done if he were here.

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