Obituary of James Slack

James Luther Slack left this world June 12, 2009 at the Enloe Hospital in Chico after a brief illness. Born in San Jose, California on April 15, 1930 to Luther T. and Georgie L. Slack, the family eventually moved to Yuba City where Jim graduated from Yuba City Elementary School (now Bridge Street School) in 1943 and Yuba City High School in 1947. Jim is survived by his companion, Imelda Cumming of Oroville and La Porte; his former wife and mother of their five children, Donna Landerman of Browns Valley and his sister, Mary and her husband John Recend of Roseville. He was very proud of his five children and their families which include David and Wilma Slack of Hallwood, Steven and Jenny Slack of Sutter, Eric and Brenda Slack of Linda, Susan and Gregg Hutton of Durham and Luther and Willie Slack of Sutter. Other survivors include 11 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren and three cousins, Bob Slack of Penn Valley and Thomas and Terry Slack from the Bay Area. Jim followed his Dad's footsteps as a member of Operating Engineers, Local #3, the Corinthian Lodge #9 of the Masons and the Ben Ali Shrine. He loved hunting, fishing and serving his community as part of the La Porte Fire Department. Many of his old friends knew Jim by his nick name, "Gismo." He got this name because he could take motors and other mechanical things apart, fix them and put them back together one way or another. One outstanding mechanical fete he did was for his close friend, Brian Arritt, who had been bound to a wheelchair ever since he was 10 years old. Jim figured out how to rig a Volkswagon up so it could be operated solely by hand. This included the brakes, accelerator and clutch. From then on Brian could be seen driving around town in his little "Bug." Another proud accomplishment was assisting his friend, Bill Cumming, in the building of one of the first cement fishing boats in the area. During his lifetime, he also operated a gunsmith business in Linda and commercially fished out of Albion in Mendocino County. One exciting adventure he never forgot was operating a ship from the east coast through the Panama Canal and on up the west coast to San Francisco Bay. Jim will especially be missed for the exciting stories of his many adventures. A Celebration of His Life will be held at Susan and Gregg Hutton's home at 2572 Durham-Dayton Hwy in Durham on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 1 p.m. Suggested donations - La Porte Fire Department, Oroville SPCA or the Shriner's Hospital in Sacramento.