Jim is a Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War. The last line of the Marine Corps hymm reads; "The streets of Heaven are guarded by The United States Marines" God has called one of his warriors home.

James Howard Mortensen passed away on May 27, 2021 at the home he built and loved in Vacaville, California, surrounded by his family. He lived a full, exciting and caring life with family and friends.

Jim was preceded by his parents Mort and Gladyce Mortensen, brothers Gordon, Robert, and John Mortensens, brothers-in-law, Ollie Sowers, and Ray Miller, sisters-in-law Chrys Mortensens, and Janet (Roger) Moen. He leaves behind a sister, Joyce (Oliver) Sowers of Vacaville and sister-in-law. Florence (Ray) Miller of Vacaville.

Deeply missed and forever loved, Jim is survived by his beloved wife Jo Ann, and his three dearly loved children and their spouses, son Steven (Darla) Mortensen; daughter Linda (Vic) Thompson; and daughter Jamie Mortensen along with her life partner Joe Fields.

He also leaves behind his cherished granddaughters and their spouses, Melissa (Pat) Ensley; Amy (Jeff) Warney; Kristin (Dennis) Reische; Jodie (Quinton) Marquiss, Jennifer (John)

Martin; as well as his deeply loved great grandchildren, Wyatt, Garrett, Jack, and Levi Ensley; Haley, Brook and Nora Warney; Noah, Jerry James and Jessie Reische; and Bailey, Cameron and Dylan Martin. He was very fond of all his nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family in Denmark.

Jim was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota on February 28, 1931 to Mort and Gladyce Mortensen. Jim's father, Mort, immigrated from Denmark making Jim a first generation American who was very proud of his Danish heritage, but first and foremost a proud, loyal and very patriotic American.

In 1943 Jim's Dad left Minnesota to work on the Alaskan Highway, and at that time his mother moved the family to San Jose in order to be near her family. Later, they moved to Benicia, California where Jim attended high school. After high school he became a Fire Truck Driver for the California Division of Forestry.

He was called to active duty in the United States Marine Corps in September 1950. Jim was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded during combat duty in the Korean War in 1951. He then worked as a First Class Machinist at Mare Island while attending classes at University of California.

Jim joined the California Highway Patrol in 1957 where he served for 30 years as a Patrol Officer in Los Angeles and Vallejo. Eighteen of those years he was assigned to Golden Gate Division Investigative Services in San Francisco and throughout Northern California. His duties were dignitary protection for Reverend Billy Graham, Governors Nelson Rockefeller, Pat Brown, and Ronald Reagan, as well as other prominent political figures. He was assigned undercover assignments on the Berkeley riots and outlaw bikers, as well as the Freeman-Blecher murders and the Zodica killings in Napa and Solano County. During this time, he also taught in the Criminal Justice Program for 23 years at various Universities, Community colleges and Police Academies. He loved his job and always told everyone he had the most exciting job in the world' and woke up every morning wondering what each day held in store for him. When asked how he handled the various problems to be found in a law enforcement job he would always answer, "You do the right thing at the right time, and in the right way." He didn't just "talk the talk, he walked the walk."

Upon retiring in 1983 Jim and his wife JoAnn built the home of their dreams in Vacaville, where he took up ranching and raised Black Angus and Herefords for over fifteen years. He loved working with wood and formed his own business, The Woodcrafter, then after a number of years, tiring of that went into background investigations until he retired a second time in 2014.

Of course, that didn't mean he quit working. When someone would say "Boy you are really lucky" -his standard reply was, "The harder you work the luckier you get!" Sometimes that meant not just one job but two or three in the early years of their marriage.

During this period, they also did a lot of trail riding; snowmobiling; boating; water skiing; fishing, 4 Wheel Driving; and camping with their Motor Home. They traveled extensively within every state in the United States and Canada, many times including grandchildren, family and friends. They also enjoyed cruising and Europe, notably Denmark where Jim still has a large number of relatives.

Jim served as Foreman of the Solano County Grand Jury; Chairman of Benicia Civil Service Commission; Chairman of Solano County Peace Officers Memorial Committee; Commandant of the Yolo County Marine Corps League; President of Circle D Horseman's Associations; and Chairman of the Rural North Vacaville Water District.

He proudly served as an Area Representative and a Northern California Representative and later became the Director of Retirees on the board of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, serving a total of 36 years in the Association of Highway Patrolmen, serving a total of 36 years in the Association. He was a life time member of the First Marine Division Association, The Marine Corps League, The NRA, the California Associations of Highway Patrolmen, the Elks Lodge, and held a Lifetime California Teaching Credential.

His proudest project was the organizing and raising funds for the installation of the Police Memorial in Solano County. Jim was a man of many hats and enjoyed wearing every one of them. A child of The Great Depression, he learned the value of hard work and devotion to family and friends at a young age. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a fireman, policeman, soldier, cowboy, hunter, fisherman, teacher and a carpenter. He was all that and more. He didn't say "Husband, Father, or Grandfather", but those were hats he loved and took pride in wearing. He was a very intelligent and charismatic man who enjoyed telling true stories of his adventurous life.

Jim lived according to his principles and led by example. He was known and respected for his integrity, work ethics, faithfulness, loyalty and love of family and friends. He made friends at the drop of a hat and knew more about them in 15 minutes than most people could find out in a year. He was a loyal and trustworthy friend who would back you up for life. He was the rock of our family, steadfast and dependable, always there when you needed him. His closest lifetime friends were three other Marines who he bonded with in Korea. Ralph Sibley, and Bill Ramsey who both preceded him in death, and Al Seagraves, to whom his last advice was "I've gone ashore, you're in charge." Semper Fi.

He felt he had succeeded as a father as his children were his pride and joy. They have carried on his examples of strong ethics and high morals. He and Steve had a special bond through love and high morals. He and Steve had a special bond through love of wood working, hunting and fishing and he loved watching Steve pass this love on to his grandsons. Jim was a "man's man", but always said "God knows I love the ladies too, that's why he gave me daughters and granddaughters."

The love of his life was JoAnn. It was love at first sight for him and he never looked at another woman except in friendship. He never denied her anything that she even hinted at wanting. Jim was dearly loved by his family and will be missed but held forever close in the treasure trove of stories and memories he left in our heart.

Services will be held at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon on November 10, 2021 at 1:30 P.M