James B. Cole

BELLEVUE, Iowa - James Bernard Cole, 82, of Bellevue, formerly of Des Moines, died, July 4, 2008, at Mill Valley Care Center, Bellevue. Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 19, at St. Josephs Catholic Church, Bellevue. Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 18, at Kingery-Lemke Funeral Home, Bellevue. James was born on January 5, 1926 in Banbury, England, son of Arthur Bernard and Annie Winifred (Hughes) Cole. He grew up in Redditch and graduated from the University of Birmingham. He was a World War II veteran, serving as an air raid warden during the Blitz and in the British Royal Navy in the Indian Ocean late in the war. After emigrating to Canada in 1953, he married Valerie Ann Gower, whom he had met in England, on June 2, 1956 in Toronto, Canada. Their three children were born in Canada. Jim worked for Massey Ferguson for 25 years as a Pension Benefits Manager, first in Toronto and then in Des Moines after a 1967 transfer. Early in his retirement, Jim volunteered at Mercy Hospital (DSM) and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). Jim was an avid reader and a great music fan, attending many concerts and plays and singing in church choir. He and Valerie traveled extensively and Jim eventually visited all 50 states, Central America, Sri Lanka, Australia and many European countries. Jim became a naturalized American citizen in 1995. He was a member of St. Josephs, Bellevue and former member of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Des Moines. Surviving are his children, Matthew (Karla) Cole of St. Paul, MN, Ann (David) Kendell of Bellevue and Elizabeth Cole of Pikeville, KY; grandchildren James, Andrew & Sarah Kendell and Henry & Geneva Cole; a sister, Margaret Cole of Redditch, England; a cousin, Pat Pickett of Coventry, England; and numerous nieces and nephews in Britain, Italy and Australia. James was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Valerie, on March 15, 1992, his brother, John and sister, Mary. A James Cole Memorial Fund has been established and gifts to this fund will be disbursed among the many charities James generously supported. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.lemkefuneralhome.net. The family would like to extend special thanks to the staff at Mill Valley Care Center, Mercy Hospital and Hospice of Dubuque, for their care and compassion.