Jim Gully died October 9, 2004 near Farmington Bay, doing what he loved most – sharing the outdoors with one of his children. Jim was born March 25, 1943 in Butte, Montana with a fishing rod and hiking boots, the fourth child of Walter James Gully and Helen Harriet Mondloch. Nature in all its forms was his solace, and he instilled a deep love of the outdoors and adventure in his four children, Jill, Paula Mark and Ben. Throughout the Wasatch Mountains, Jim and Ben built "stealth huts" – or as Jim would call them, "rearranged local materials." They have delighted many backcountry travelers. Jim taught Mark to climb mountains, encouraged Paula in her round-the-world snowboarding and applauded Jill in her world travels. Jim was a talented oarsman on the whitewater rivers of the West with the Wasatch Mountain Club. With his sharp river-reading skills, he was a beacon of safety over the wavecrests for his wife Janice, paddling a small boat behind. After logging 31years working for the Utah State Tax Commission, Jim looked forward to many happy years pulling oars in retirement. He had a goofy sense of humor and was endlessly self-entertaining. Jim graduated from Judge Memorial High School in 1961. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in Political Science, served in the Peace Corps for three years in Racife, Brazil and returned to earn a master's degree in Political Science and Economics. He had a forgiving and generous spirit and he unconditionally accepted people for who they were. On October 1st of this year Jim celebrated his 17th anniversary as a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous. He always reached out to the newest, wettest member of AA, and carried a positive message of hope and love. His home meeting was the Sugarhouse Men's Group. Jim married the children's mother, Mary Krumm Gully Sept. 9, 1972 and although they divorced in 1991, they remained friends and always put the children first and worked together worked to raise four loving adults. Over a five-year period, Jim and co-worker Janice Perry became best friends and were then married on January 4, 1997. He is survived by his wife Janice, ex-wife Mary Gully, sons James Mark and Benjamin Josef, daughters Paula Lynne and Jill Nicole, and stepson Michael Phanuef Perry; sister Nana Gully Penrose, twin brothers Monty and William (Tina), brother Kevin (Pamella) and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. A Funeral Mass was celebrated Thursday, October 14, 2004 at 2 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center at the University of Utah 170 South University. Burial will be at Mt. Calvary Cemetery 4th Ave. & T St.
Published in the Salt Lake Tribune on 10/12/2004.