James Ferrians

James Bruce (J.B.) Ferrians 18 November 1949 - 30 June 2025 James Bruce Ferrians passed away on June 30, 2025, in Wenatchee, Washington, following a short illness. Jim was born in November of 1949 to Elaine and Laurence Ferrians in Oxnard, California. The family spent their early years in California before finally settling in the Tri-Cities, Washington in the late 1950s. In high school, Jim was a member of the ski club and cross country team, graduating in 1967. Many of the friends he made at Kennewick High remained his friends for life. Knowing that he would be called upon to serve in the Vietnam War, Jim and a friend made a trip to Spokane to enlist before they were drafted. Jim was sent home from MEPS after being classified 4-F. Jim considered himself fortunate: many of his friends and classmates served in Vietnam; some never returned, others returned forever changed. Jim spent many years as a member of NASCAR, maintaining his membership long after his days at the racetrack had ended. He often told stories about nights and weekends working on and racing cars with his brothers Larry and Marty. After high school, Jim worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for a short time before getting a job as a lineman and eventually as a fiber optic technician at General Telephone. Jim was a proud member of the Communication Workers of America, serving for a time as vice president of Local 7670 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He worked for GTE for 29 years, until GTE and Bell Atlantic merged to form Verizon. After leaving GTE, Jim became an independent contractor, taking fiber optic splicing projects all over the western states, often working with his longtime friend, Tim Curd. Despite being born in California and raised in Washington, Jim considered himself a “North Idaho Native” because he felt most at home in Hayden, just off Government Way, at the end of East Ferrians Road. Some of his happiest times were spent there, usually on the front porch or in the yard with the kids and grandkids. Jim and his wife, Darlene, spent much of their free time in the mountains of North Idaho from the North Fork of the Clearwater to Lake Pend Oreille and all points in between. He had an endless supply of stories about all of the hours spent in the mountains and at elk camp with Roger and Mary and the boys, as well as many other friends and family members. After Darlene passed in 2007, Jim moved first to Benton City, and eventually to Wenatchee, Washington, where he spent his final years just down the road from Chris and Sarah and Wesley. Jim was preceded in death by his father, Laurence; his mother, Elaine; stepfather, Marion McDougall; sister, Luella; brothers Martin and Larry; his wife, Darlene; and granddaughter, Rachael. He is survived by his son, Chris Ferrians; his daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Wesley LeFebvre; his sister and brother-in-law, Diana and Bob Regez; his sister Charlene McCormick; many nieces and nephews including Dana Holman and Clifford Holamn; his stepsons and their wives, Rick and Robin Cook and Dell and Billi Shockley; and his grandkids and their families: Trevor and Bree; Conner and Tawnee; Carson and Amanda; Justin and Tawni; Nichole and Shaun; and Jeremy. Jim loved to tell stories about his life, the people he met, and his many adventures great and small. As his friends and family know, Jim could talk for hours, seamlessly weaving one story into another. Just when you thought the tale was at an end, Jim would say something like “and then the next week,” and the story would continue. Jim’s friends and family also know that his stories were often Jim’s way of saying “I love you and I want you to stay a while longer,” because he always had a hard time saying “goodbye.”

James Ferrians

November 18, 1949 - June 30, 2025