James C House

James Charles House, age 74, of Cheyenne, Wyoming passed away February 16, at Davis Hospice Center.
Jim was born in Grand Island, Nebraska to Roscoe Charles House and Betty Jean Gustin on November 14, 1948. He graduated from Grand Island Senior High School in 1967, attended Kearney State College and joined the Army during the Vietnam War era. While in the Army, he married Pamela Hastings and they had two children. He was first stationed on the island of Shemya off the coast of Alaska in the Aleutian Island chain. After transfer to Fort Bragg, their son, Mikey James was born. They were then stationed in Hawaii on the Island of Oahu where their second child, Jill, was born. They returned to the mainland and were stationed in Arizona. Following the couple’s divorce, Jim signed on with a government contract to work in the Marshall Islands on the island of Kwajalein for the next six years. Upon returning to the United States with his experience in the Army and on Kwajalein, he began working for the National Weather Service as a technician at the office in International Falls, Minnesota, known to be the “Ice Box of the Nation”. What a difference for this man who had lived on islands in the Pacific for many years! He went from fishing for tuna in the ocean to fishing for northern pike in Voyageurs National Park on the Canadian border!

After the International Falls Weather Office closed in 1994, Jim moved with the National Weather Service to Cheyenne, Wyoming. This is where the Jim and Sandy “story” continues from high school days. They actually met in junior high homeroom, and continued to date in high school. They remained friends in college and even double dated with friends, but Vietnam and the draft happened. Jim had a low draft number and left college with one semester left to join the Army. They remained in contact as friends over the years. When he came to Cheyenne, Sandy was teaching in the Cherry Creek School District in the Denver area. Over the next year, I-25 became the corridor for a renewed relationship. In June of 1996, thirty years after high school, Jim and Sandy were married. Jim retired in 2009 after a 30-year career with the National Weather Service. He especially enjoyed his work in the C0-op program getting to know ranchers and farmers who recorded weather information for the weather service across Wyoming and western Nebraska. Over their 26 years of marriage, Jim and Sandy have enjoyed making friends wherever they go in their many adventures- traveling, camping, fishing, hunting and with grandchildren!
Jim was a proud American Veteran. He was a member of the American Legion. He served for many years as secretary-treasurer of the Alpha Delta Kappa International Association for Men, supporting Sandy and other women with their International Teacher Organization for Women. Over the years, they enjoyed hosting Alpha Delta Kappa scholarship recipients. These young women spent a year in the United States studying for their MA in Education to improve education in their home country. He was loved by them, as they called him ‘Uncle Jim’. They always included greetings to him when sending correspondence from countries around the world. He enjoyed sharing stories of life in Wyoming with them. He always invited them to “come ride a horse in Wyoming!” and several did just that!
Jim has joined his parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and many beloved family members in heaven. Jim is survived by his loving wife, Sandy (Lanman), three grown children, son, James Michael House and wife Susan (Scully) of Belleview, Nebraska; daughter, Jill Messina and husband Taft Love of Cheyenne, Wyoming; stepdaughter Gina Michelle (Dreiling) and husband Ian Smith of Centennial, Colorado; and 9 grandchildren, Nadia, Ivan, Elizabeth and Jillian House; Timothy, Katherine, and Olivia Love; Kylee Hallada and Charlie Smith; and brother Gary House and wife Julie of Green Valley, Arizona.
His family is grateful to know that Jim is finally at peace. Services with military honors will be held at Wiederspahn - Radomsky Chapel of the Chimes on March 2, at 2pm, reception following, and all are welcome. Interment will take place at Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell, Nebraska. Viewing will be open February 27th. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cheyenne Friday Food Bag Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Lewy Body Dementia Association or a charity of your choice.