Obituary

James Henry Cahill
July 10, 1932-February 16, 2022 (Age 89)

Dad’s life ended where it began, in Thornhollow, Oregon. In between those two dates though he would travel the world as a valued member of the United States Air Force, marry Dolores Emter and have five devoted children.

James (Jim) Henry Cahill grew up on the family farm near Thornhollow where he attended the one room school house. He rode Ol’ Pinky to school, raced the troop trains that went by the house during World War II and helped neighbors gather cows. Riding horseback was where Dad was the happiest.

Dad loved to tell stories about going to town (Pendleton) and the ‘working’ girls who would talk with him from the various upstairs hotel windows downtown. He talked of his Dad playing Pan at the Club Cigar. Of watching his Grandad play pool down at Sheehan’s pool parlor. As a teenager how he and his friends would go out to a field at night, park their cars in a circle with the headlights all pointing in and turn on their radios and dance.

He graduated from Pendleton High School in 1950 and his basketball prowess got him playing time at Oregon State University and later Clark College. Dad was more interested in basketball than academics at that time of his life. Yet it was his move to Clark College that gave Dad the chance to meet and marry the love of his life, Dolores Emter.

After their marriage in 1953, they left for Dad’s first duty station as a young one striper in the Air Force. While stationed in Germany Dad continued to play and coach basketball. Their trip to see occupied East Germany and the ruins left from World War II left an indelible mark on them. The first of the five children, Kevin was born in Germany. After a brief return to the civilian side, Dad and Mom returned to Air Force life and were stationed in London, England. There Kelly and Liz joined team Cahill. Kathy and Jamey rounded out the family when Dad was ordered stateside to Arizona.

In a move that would shape Dad in profound ways, he left for a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1964. There he met a Jesuit priest and converted to Catholicism. He spent many hours at an orphanage run by the Jesuits and greatly admired them. In many ways his tour was the pinnacle of his military career although not the end of it. When he came back from Southeast Asia, we were stationed at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls and then to Dow AFB, Bangor, Maine. Dad achieved the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. After 22 years of military service, Dad retired in 1973 and we moved back to live on the property where Dad had grown up.

Dad was an active participant in the communities wherever we lived. He coached Pop Warner football, he instructed altar boys and sang in the church choirs that Mom directed. When he retired, he was elected to the Athena-Weston School Board and served for almost 25 years. He was a member of the Citizen Review Board in Pendleton helping to sort out the difficult and heartbreaking cases of child custody and parental rights. He was a principled man, not afraid to make tough decisions, to listen and learn and change his position on issues when information and experience warranted it.

Dad and Mom enjoyed many golfing trips with dear friends throughout the West and Canada. Dad loved and Mom gamely went along with rafting trips down the Minam and Rogue rivers. They packed into the Wallowas and RV’d throughout the southwest. But Dad’s most anticipated times were those on horseback helping his friends gather cows. There was no place Dad would rather be than on his horse with his dogs Zeke and Buddy searching for cows. While Buddy and Zeke did not mind going some of the places Dad took his horses, the list grew shorter of people willing to ride with Dad a second time. He just knew there was a ‘good’ way to get down into that canyon. Or there just had to be a way around those down trees, across that shale rock and through that pucker brush that would get us back to where we wanted to be.

Even with almost 90 years under his cowboy belt we all would have loved more. He left us a treasure trove of great memories and stories. He taught us the value of hard work, the wonder of reading, the joy of being outside, the rewards of competition, the importance of a loving and forgiving family and the responsibility of living your faith. He was a good man, took care of his family and helped where he could.

Dad (Jim) is survived by his brother Cason (Jean) Umatilla, OR; son Kevin (Beth Wasley) La Grande, OR; son Kelly (Jane Stuessy) Port Townsend, WA; daughter Elizabeth (Diane Groff) Thornhollow, OR; daughter Katherine Britt (Rusty) Lexington, OR; and son Jamey, Pendleton, OR. His loving legacy also includes 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Not to be forgotten are his trusted, faithful and mostly obedient cowdogs, Zeke and Buddy and his horses Chester and Freckles.

The recitation of the Holy Rosary will be said on Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Athena, OR. The funeral Mass for Jim will be held on Monday, February 28, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with reception following in the parish hall. Military honors will be presented at Olney Cemetery in Pendleton after the reception.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church or the Wounded Warrior Project.