James (Jim) Perry St. John passed away peacefully on March 12, 2024, at his home in Willow Creek, California. Jim was born September 2, 1943, in Arcata at the old Trinity Hospital — the son of Perry Leroy and Barbara Caroline (Weirup) St. John. Jim was raised in McKinleyville, where he attended elementary school and later graduated from Arcata High School. He enjoyed gardening, singing, reciting poetry, and building and fixing machinery, especially Oliver tractors.

Jim worked for several Arcata Bottoms ranchers in the hay fields as a teenager. At sixteen, he purchased his first Oliver tractor, going into custom farming. Jim was a well-known machinist throughout Humboldt County. He was the go-to guy if you had a difficult job. Jim took great pride in analyzing and problem-solving a project to make it work. Jim started his machinist career at Humboldt Machine, later moving to Gene’s Machine in Arcata and Redding. Jim married Ella Gleave in 1967. They had two children, Perry and Hiedi. After moving his family to Willow Creek in 1972 he went to work for California Pacific in Hoopa as a Mill Wright. Jim and Ella divorced in 1981. After the divorce was finalized, he opened his own machine shop, J & V Machine during the late 1980s in Arcata. He would later move his business to Willow Creek. He married Virginia (Yarborough) Skaggs in 1993. They lived together happily until her death in 2021.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife Virginia St. John, parents Perry and Barbara St. John, and sister Carole St. John. He is survived by his children Perry (Tammy) St. John of Adin, Calif., Hiedi (Keir) Johnston of Willow Creek and niece Dolly Bott of Kansas City, Kansas, in addition to his two step-children Clifford Mac (Melinda Sue) Skaggs of Leggett, and Tina Skaggs of Estacada, Oregon. He also leaves behind his grandchildren Jeremiah St. John, Jossie (Robert) Cornish, Kyle (Heather) Duncan, Dylan(Joanna) Duncan, Logan (Alice) Johnston, Tess (Patrick) Moran, and Shae (Joshua) McKnight, his step-grandchildren Krystal (Stephen) Wainwright, Timothy Valjean Skaggs, and Gerelyn Jean Skaggs. He is also survived by his ten great-grandchildren Sophie and Shepherd Cornish, Bronc and Rorie Lear, Dixie Long, Keagan and Grayson Duncan, Clyde Johnston, Jasper Ambrose, and Sunny Wainwright.

A celebration of life will be held on May 11, 2024 at 1 p.m. at Willow Creek Veterans Memorial Hall. A potluck lunch will be held following the celebration. We look forward to hearing stories and memories you may have about Jim.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Jim St. John’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.