James L Reese Iii

Jim was born in Seattle to Ruth Taylor Reese and James L. Reese, Jr.. In his later teen and early adulthood years he was also greatly influenced by his step-father Maurice Kinzel.

He began his early education in Seattle and on Bainbridge Island. His family then moved to Kodiak, Alaska. There he created many memories which he often shared with his family. Most especially his paper route through the less than friendly White Russian community, his collecting coins that had fallen through the spaces in the board sidewalks and the night he and his little brother Steve returned from the only theater as two badly scared children on a dark and snowy night after seeing “The Thing”.

His family returned to Bainbridge Island where he attended the last years of elementary school and graduated from Bainbridge Island High School in 1960. He made lifelong friends, excelled at football under his revered coach Tom Paski and was not a favorite person of school authorities.

Jim began working and attending the University of Washington where he pledged Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. That college career lasted until his graduation in 1969. That period of time is an example of Jim’s view of life. He worked hard to earn tuition money, served in the U.S. Marine Corp, began work on his dream of building a boat, married Julia and listened to her say, “You have one year to finish at the U with a degree.”

He did just that and began teaching at Cedar Heights Junior High in Port Orchard where he taught for five years. Work continued on the sailboat of his dreams. In 1961 he and his brothers Steve and John and college friends had approached his Grandfather Charles Taylor, a master shipbuilder with a boatyard on Bainbridge Island, and asked him to design and teach them how to build a wooden sailboat. That adventure ended in 1971 when the 52 foot ketch “Persis” was successfully launched.

Jim’s oldest son Charles was born in 1972. His son Michael was expected when he and his little family traveled to Vermont where Mike was born and Jim attended Vermont Law School. He wrote for the Law Review and graduated cum laude in 1977.

He returned to Port Orchard and began his beloved practice of law under the mentorship of James Maddock. He soon opened his private practice at 612 Sidney where he continued to practice until the nearly the very end of his life for 37 years. He served as a public defender, maintained a private practice and especially loved his work as an appellate attorney. He wrote over 150 appellate briefs, argued many before the Kitsap County Superior Court, the Court of Appeals, Division II, and three cases before the Washington State Supreme Court.


Jim was an active member of St. Bede Episcopal Church where he participated in their family kitchen and did the South Kitsap Relay for Life when the church sponsored a team. He was a true Huskie Football fan and an avid follower of his sons’ baseball careers. He followed Michael’s passion for baseball which continues to this day in a coaching capacity and he loved the food that Charles prepares at his chosen path as a cook at the Clubhouse at McCormick Woods. He was a history buff, most especially the Civil War. He traveled To Gettysburg twice to experience that battlefield. He did enjoy train travel and made three trips with his sons to Huskie football games in New York, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Jim had two other consuming hobbies: Razor clam digging at nearly every open dig time and collecting dropped coins wherever and whenever; an interest he shared after pretty much every find with his lifelong friend Kirk. If you see one, please think of Jim and pick it up.

The point of this long narrative is to give a picture of Jim as a vibrant, striving, hardworking and dedicated man who touched many others in one way or another. I hope you share your memories at his memorial service on October 3, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at Rill’s Life Tribute Center on a Huskie football bye week.

Memorial donations may be made at www.gofundme.com/westhillscares .