James Richard Vest
James Richard Vest, 90, of Hermantown, passed away Monday, Feb. 14, 2011, in his home surrounded by his loving family.
Jim was born Aug. 21, 1920, in Bloomfield, Ind., to Charles and Parsie Vest, the youngest of 13 children. Jim married Margie Bridge Sept. 13, 1941, in Georgetown, Ind.
He was drafted into the Army Air Corps Aug. 24, 1942, and served as a B-24 tail gunner with the 93rd Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. Their group was nicknamed Ted's Traveling Circus and his plane was shot down during Operation Tidal Wave, a bombing raid on the Ploesti Romania Oil Fields on Aug. 1, 1943, spending 13 months as a prisoner of war. Jim was awarded the Purple Heart, Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, 6 bronze stars, European-African-Middle East Theatre award, Unit Citation and the Good Conduct medal. In Dec. 1944 he returned to his family in Belle Plaine, Iowa, meeting his year-old son for the first time.
Jim worked at several jobs in Iowa before moving to a farm in Aitkin in September 1946, where he farmed and worked at the Mahnomen Mine. In 1960 he went to work for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as a driver's license examiner.
In 1961 Jim and Margie moved to Hermantown where they have resided since. He attained the positions of supervisor and assistant chief of drivers license before retiring in 1984 after 24 years.
Jim was an avid deer and grouse hunter, fisherman and loved baseball. He enjoyed many years of camping with family and friends and wintering in Cedar Key, Fla. Jim belonged to the American Legion and was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans.
Jim was preceded in death by eight brothers; four sisters; infant son Charles; granddaughter Diana Vest Kishel; and grandson Lance Schoepper.
He is survived by wife of almost 70 years, Margie; children James (Phoebe), Edward (Carolyn), Mary (Ron) Mathieu, Dorothy (John Sirois) Goldspring and Thomas (Sherri); grandchildren Theresa (William) Milton, Jamie (Brian) Putnam, Laura (Pat) McHugh, Christopher (Jody) Vest, Ryan (Ann) Mathieu, Amy Crossland, Macy Goldspring, Samatha Goldspring, Nicole (Bernie) Sundeen and Holly Vest; 15 great-grandchildren with two additional due this summer.
VISITATION: 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, February. 16, and from 1 until the 2 p.m. service Thursday, February. 17, in Sunrise Funeral Home. Burial will be at noon Friday, February 18, in Ft. Snelling Cemetery, with full military honors.
