BOMBER MEMORIAL

WILLIAM JAMES "JIM"/"JIMMY" SCHILDKNECHT ~ Class of 1966
November 6, 1947 - August 14, 2022



William James "Jim"/"Jimmy" Schildknecht, 74, passed away peacefully in his home in Richland after a long battle with cancer on August 14, 2022, surrounded by his family.

Jim is survived by his loving wife, Jan Caufield Schildknecht; daughter, Dana Houston (Joel), and granddaughters, Emma and Sofia; daughter, Taylor Schildknecht, and grandson, Luca Annaboli; and daughter, Rachel Keller (Kyle), and granddaughters, Klary and Kaedy; brother, Tom Schildknecht ('70) (Robin '74); and sisters: Nancy Pickett ('71) (Tom), Lynn Ibatuan ('74); Leslie Dodd ('79) (Ryan '84); and Kathleen Schildknecht ('83); as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

Jim is proceeded in death by his parents, Bill and Betty Schildknecht, his sister, Karen Mateo ('67) and brother-in-law, Mark Ibatuan ('74).

He was born on November 6, 1947, to William Dean "Bill" Schildknecht and Betty Jean Gorman Schildknecht in Grand Coulee, WA. At the age of three their family moved to the Tri Cities, WA. Jim adopted his dad’s love of baseball, playing Little League and School Baseball in Richland as the 2nd baseman for the 1966 Bomber (4-A) Conference champions. Jim graduated from Richland's Columbia High School with the Class of 1966 and attended Columbia Basin College and Spokane Falls Junior College before entering the U. S. Army in 1968.

Jim was drafted into the U. S. Army in 1968 with his Basic and AIT training at Ft. Lewis, WA. He attended Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Ft. Benning, GA, graduating 5/69. He was assigned to Airborne School as instructor/supervisor (black hat) at Ground and Tower Training Groups. Jim spent a couple of months as XO of the 4th Student Bn, Abn Training Student Brigade, concurrently, given collateral responsibility as “Survivor Assistance Officer". Panama – attended/graduated from U. S. Army Jungle Survival School 9/69. Republic of Vietnam – 10/69 through 10/70. Platoon Leader, 2nd platoon, C/1st/327th/101st Abn/Airmobile. Company Commander, 1/327th/101st “Tiger Force", Special Ops. Post-RVN, assigned to AIT Tactical Weapons Training group as Lead Range Officer and Instructor at Ft. Lewis. In 1969, Jim received the Bronze Star with a V device for action as a platoon leader in Vietnam. On reconnaissance patrol, he discovered enemy activity ahead and led a successful ambush by his platoon as they overran the enemy position. “His action prevented a surprise attack on his platoon and led to the capture of several enemy weapons and documents.” Jim completed his military service 7/71 as 1st Lt.

In 1988 Jim married Jan Caufield, and they built a family together that included their three daughters, son's-in-law and grandkids over the next 34 years together.

Following his military service, Jim attended University of Washington and became a lifelong avid Huskey fan. Jim returned to Richland, where he started a more than
37-year career working in commercial nuclear, DOE nuclear/non-nuclear and fossil power/mining operations. Jim held management and consulting positions in Construction Engineering, Maintenance Engineering, Facility Operations/CONOPS, Maintenance Management Programs, ESH&Q, Performance Assurance/Continuous Improvement, Technical Training and Facility Deactivation& Decommissioning. For more than 30 years, Jim worked for DOE-Hanford contractors. He would continue with management and consulting positions at the Savannah River Site, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Pantex Weapons Site. Jim finished his illustrious career, assisting, training and teaching the Formality of Operations and INPO-based Human Performance Improvement (HPI) initiatives within the fossil power/mining operations.

Jim loved spending time with his wife, Jan, who cared for him dearly during his fight with cancer. He cherished his time with his kids and grandkids, and he took great joy in posting Facebook pictures of the time they spent together.

He was a larger than life personality, who made friends wherever he went. Jim loved playing golf with his friends and enjoyed sharing stories of the Army, work and the early years in the club house after a round. He maintained those relationships throughout his life and continued to make new friends until the end. Jim loved being part of a large family of his brother and sisters. He was the instigator of many impromptu dinners and bonfires as all remained very close in proximity as well as maintained a tight bond.

Jim had a sense of humor that bridged all age gaps and maintained a genuine interest in the lives of his extended family and friends. He loved to debate the issues of the day but had a patriotic love of America that had no end. Jim touched the lives of so many people around the country, and his passing leaves a deep void for those who had the honor to know him.

A graveside service for Jim was held at Einan’s Sunset Gardens in Richland, on August 28, 2022, at 11:00 am. A reception followed at 1103 S. 717 PR SE in Kennewick.

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Bomber Memorial put together by Shirley COLLINGS Haskins ('66).