Rita “JoEllyn” James passed away peacefully on September 18, 2026. She had just celebrated her 91st birthday the previous month.
JoEllyn had been a resident of Humboldt County since moving here in 1947 from Bells, Texas. JoEllyn was the only child of Joe Meador and Ellyn Burnett. JoEllyn moved to Humboldt due to her stepfather, Paul Shaw, getting hired at Pacific Lumber Company. He was a mill foreman for many years, and Ellyn was one of the Pacific Lumber Company switchboard operators for almost 45 years. They resided in Scotia for many years.
JoEllyn worked at the Humboldt Creamery as a young teen and met the love of her life, Lowell James, in 1954. They married in 1956, and Paul James was born in 1957. Daughter Leanne came along in 1959. Lowell purchased their home in Fortuna in early 1960. Lowell passed in October 2019 after a brief illness, and JoEllyn stayed in the home till early 2026, when she became ill and had to move into assisted living.
JoEllyn did a multitude of jobs ranging from running her own daycare in her home in the late ‘50s and ‘60s, to working with the local school system as a playground monitor as well as working for a local collection agency, and her last job before retiring was working for Albin Insurance in Fortuna.
“Jo,” as some called her, was a real sweetheart; everyone that knew her loved her. She would strike up a conversation with a stranger in the grocery store. If she saw someone begging, she would always have a few bucks in her pocket to give them.
JoEllyn and Lowell loved Fort Bragg and Mendocino and would travel there as often as possible; it was their favorite place. JoEllyn didn’t wish a service, so her children will be scattering her ashes along with Lowell’s together in Fort Bragg.
She is survived by her son, Paul James; her daughter, Leanne Langston; and her granddaughter, Ariel Janko.
If you were blessed to have known Jo for just the briefest of moments, you have truly met a unique individual. She was one of a kind and the best mom ever!
A huge thank-you to the staff at Fortuna Rehab and Wellness for caring for JoEllyn the last eight months of her life.
###
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of JoEllyn James’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.