James Anthony Test passed away at home in Arcata on May 26, 2022. He was 77 years old.

Jim was born in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania into an Italian family. His mother was a great cook, and Jim had a lifelong love affair with good Italian food.

His father was a fabricator for a coal mining company and built the family home with the help of Jim’s older brother Tony. Some of this must have rubbed off on Jim because remodeling houses was one of his treasured passions.

He went to Catholic school where he was a crossing guard and enjoyed bossing other kids. One day a girl who didn’t want to be bossed pushed him into the bushes, and thus began a lifelong friendship with Patricia McGinnis.

Jim watched John Wayne movies on TV and aspired to be a tough guy, leading him to the Marine Corps right out of high school. He spent one memorable year in the jungles of Vietnam, a year which spoiled camping for years to come.

While he was proud of being a Marine and felt that it had been a major force in shaping his life in good ways, he came back to the states sympathizing with the anti-war movement, and was one of the Veterans for Peace who famously dug a bomb crater on the HSU campus in the early ‘70s.

In 1975, he met Glenda Martien and together they formed a family with her two sons, Robert and Phil, who were 11 and 14 at the time. He and Glenda were married from 1983 until her passing in 2007. They remodeled three houses together, two in Arcata and one in Fieldbrook. During this time Jim honed his cooking skills and developed a taste for good Italian wine.

From his early years as a crossing guard he went on to careers taking on the challenge of being “the boss.”

For 28 years he was General Manager/Co-Owner of Bug Press, a commercial design and printing company. He had graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Geography and a self-directed minor in Community Planning, and went to work for the Humboldt County Planning Department. He later became Executive Director of the Arcata Economic Development Corporation and then Executive Director of the Humboldt Waste Management Authority.

His civic career included being editor of the Northcoast Environmental Center’s Econews and the Historical Sites Society Newsletter. From the ‘70s to the ‘90s he was a member of many City of Arcata committees and boards. From 1994 to 2002 he was on the Arcata City Council, serving three years as Mayor. He was best known for his ability to listen, for bringing people together to solve problems, and for providing guidance and support with humor and grace.

Jim met Marilyn Page in 2010 and added her family to his gatherings over good food and wine. They moved to Napa, when it turned out all four of their adult children lived nearby. Together they remodeled a house that became another gathering place for family and friends.

He loved to travel and that became a passion in his life. While he loved Italy and of course eating Italian food, one of his favorite trips was walking Inn-to-Inn in the Cotswolds in England.

Eventually, it seemed the right time to move back to Arcata, where together they remodeled his fifth and final house.

Over the years Jim had many health challenges, some related to exposure to Agent Orange. It must have been his sturdy Italian heritage that helped him bounce back from many setbacks.

He built a life surrounded by a large and loving family. He is survived by his wife Marilyn Page, his Martien step-sons Robert (Eddie) and Phil (Sandi), his Page step-daughters Osha (Erik) and Erica (Peter), his grandchildren Lindsay, Julia, Asher, Olivia, Tia, and Taj, his brother Tony Test and his sister Diane Redmond, and nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his wife Glenda Test, his parents Sylvester and Agatha Test, and his brother Alex Test. His sister Vicki Slater passed away one month after Jim.

Jim was a man of few words, but when he had something to say it was worth hearing. He had a playful side that would come out at unexpected moments, making life with him amusing and fun. He was helpful without fanfare, doing what was necessary without overstepping.

Jim was a great source of support to his family, and over the years to his grateful community. He is deeply loved and missed. A celebration of life will be held around the time of his birthday in April 2023.

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The obituary above was submitted by Jim Test’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.