James Duane April
It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of James Duane April (Mr. April, Coach, Jim, Jimmy, Ape, Little Elvis, son, brother, cousin, uncle, dad, grandpa, and friend).
Gone too soon, husband of 56 years to Sandra April and father to Todd April (Renee) of Spokane, Washington, and Desiree Segura-April (Osías) of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and grandfather to Scott (Kathy), Erica, Austin, Nikolas and great grandfather to Caden, Jimmy danced into eternity and the arms of his Savior on Nov. 26, 2021, smiling, and rocking the 1950s music he loved so much.
Just a little spot I know in Idaho … born March 23, 1942, on a Sandpoint kitchen table to an immigrant family, his story, like so many of his generation, is the story of The American Dream. This dream, this esoteric thing, took form and like many who embraced it, became his life. The idea that you could be or do anything you wanted, if you worked hard, were honest and treated others fairly was fuel for him. He knew what he wanted, so he put his head down and set out to earn it. From that humble mill house table, through the deep, cherished friendships of his youth and onto the competitive sporting fields that became the cornerstone of his journey, he pursued his dream with passion. Through college, the first of his family to attend and graduate, that dream took him to marriage, children and into teaching where he could pursue what he loved - coaching and competition.
While the sport itself was important and teaching young people the intricacies of said sport important, helping them learn to win with grace and humility and lose with class and dignity was his priority. The two most important things were the people engagements and the manner with which you competed. He taught (and lived) that there is honor in honest and fair competition and ultimately it is the personal growth and relationships created through righteous competitive conflict or rigorous academic debate that persist. Teammates, students, opposing card-players, fans, referees, fellow game players and colleagues alike brought him joy and became the targets of his fun and outrageous anecdotes and banter. His whole life, as he pursued his American Dream, he approached his family, friends, classroom, coaching, and game-playing with that same competitive passion and joy.
That competitive spirit, whether it was winning championships in school, playing cards, bocce’ or catching bugs with his grandkids, was present in his engagements throughout his life. He taught and quietly lived his passion, through the prism of God, family, country, people, and sport. He traveled the world and could have been and done anything he wanted, but at heart, he was simply that kid, from that spot we know in Idaho, where he learned to live and breathe the air, and no matter how far he roamed, he always came back, there … our world is a far less bright place without him.
Memories and/or stories may be sent to Sandra April at jimaprilmemorial@gmail.com; and/or tax-deductible donation to the “PiHi Memorial Fund” (established to provide financial assistance for extracurricular activities for disadvantaged youth, in memory of Jim) - c/o Walla Walla Public Schools - Business Office, 364 S. Park St., Walla Walla, WA 99362.
We invite you to mark your calendars, save the date and plan to join us at an outdoor memorial service at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 23, 2022, in Walla Walla, Washington, at the Pioneer Park Garden Center Patio; or at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at the Sandpoint, Idaho, City Beach pavilion.
