Patricia Joan James, 86, of Hemet, California passed away on Friday, November 9, 2018, at Hemet Valley Medical Center in Hemet, California. She was born to the late Herbert and Ethel Knight on Saturday, October 22, 1932, in Fresno, California. Pat graduated from Kingsburg High School as Salutatorian. After graduating from Fresno State University, she taught kindergarten in Fresno for a couple of years. Pat married Thomas Reed James on August 24, 1963, and they raised three children. Pat and Tom were very active with the Navigators and spent several years of their early married life in Costa Rica doing missionary work, later settling in Hemet to bring up their young family. As a mother, Pat was supportive of her children's creativity and allowed them the independence and freedom to pursue their own interests and passions. After her years as a stay-at-home mom, Pat worked for over a decade in the Hemet Junior High School cafeteria. Pat loved to read and to correspond with family and friends, writing many notes to her kids while they were away from home. Her penmanship was exquisite! She enjoyed camping with Tom and their children in the local mountains and the Sierras and taking trips to the beach at Oceanside and on the Central Coast. Pat is remembered for her generous hospitality to guests in her own home and for her steadfast help with events at her church. She was an active and cherished member of the Bible Fellowship Church in Hemet since its founding over 40 years ago. Her family describes her as soft spoken, a quiet strength and very loving. She is survived by her husband, Thomas R. James; son, Stephen C. James and his wife, Jennifer; daughter, Shirley R. Cartiglia, and her husband, John; son, David R. James; brother, Donald R. Knight and his wife, Kathleen; brother, Gary D. Knight and his wife, Lea; and granddaughters, Angela, Alyssa and Sadie.
A memorial service will be held on December 1, 2018, at 11:00am at Bible Fellowship Church, 26835 Columbia St, Hemet CA 92544. Interment will be private at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA.