Obituary for James “Jim” McBurney Elliott Jim passed away at age 90, having been diagnosed with MDS (blood disease) in November 2017, and following a diagnosis of dementia 4 years ago. Born in Phoenix, Arizona to Jesse & Eva Elliott on November 28, 1927, he was moved to Riverside, California at a very young age to be raised by his paternal grandparents after his mother’s death from tuberculosis, while his father continued to maintain the family farm outside Phoenix. As a teenager, he moved to Berkeley where he lived with his older sister and attended Oakland Technical High School where he graduated in 1947.
He attended West Contra Costa Junior College in the Bay Area before transferring to UCSB for another year. He then returned to the Bay Area where he began his 28-year career with Shell Development in Emeryville as a lab technician in the Chemical Engineering Dept. He was highly respected as a problem solver by his supervising engineers.
He married Phyllis Huber, a former Midwest resident, in Berkeley on March 1, 1958, so they had celebrated their 60th anniversary just weeks before his passing. They had 2 daughters, Karen and Laura. In 1972 he was transferred by Shell to their research center in Houston, Texas when the company closed their Emeryville facility.
He continued to work there until taking early retirement in 1984, at which time he returned with his family to California, settling in Goleta. Following retirement, Jim and Phyllis enjoyed several trips which included Europe, Ireland and Canada. Jim was a bicycling enthusiast, and did a bike tour with his son-in-law, Tom—from Sacramento to Goleta—at the age of 65!
He and Phyllis were members of the Goleta Bicycle Club for many years and enjoyed weekly rides with that group. He also very much enjoyed building and flying model airplanes, and in past years met with other members of the local chapter of SAM (Society of Antique Modelers) to “fly” once a week. In addition, he was a do-it-yourselfer extraordinaire, making countless improvements to the family home, as well as helping others with various projects.
His kindness in lending a hand, along with his healthy sense of humor and story telling were appreciated by many friends. He will be greatly missed by his family, as well as by many who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis, daughters Karen (Jim) Dolter and Laura (Tom) Sisterson and grandsons Jeffrey and Connor Sisterson and Nicholas Dolter, and by 4 nieces and their extended families, as well as by several cousins.
He is preceded in death by his 2 siblings, Martha Elliott Crawford and Malcolm Elliott and his wife, Ann, and by his grandson, Andrew Sisterson and nephew Mike Elliott. We wish to thank all the nurses and other Hospice staff for their support and wonderful care. If desired, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Assn.
, 1528 Chapala St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101; Friendship Adult Day Care Center, 89 Eucalyptus Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108; Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care, 512 E. Gutierrez St., Santa Barbara, CA 93103, or to a charity of your choice. No memorial service is planned at this time.
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