James Harrison

James Edwin Harrison 1925-2010 James E. Harrison, 85, of Lakewood passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early morning hours of Monday December 6, 2010. Jim Harrison was born September 4, 1925 in Fordyce, Arkansas, the only son of Velma and Fred Harrison. After attending Prairie View A&M University in Texas, Jim joined the US Army Air Corps in 1943, where he became a member of the prestigious Tuskegee Airmen, serving as a pilot during WWII in the 332 Fighter Group. After the war, Jim served with the occupation forces in Japan, living in Kyoto with his wife Margaret (Phillips), who he had met while training in Tuskegee, Alabama, and with their young daughter Jeanette. Rising to the rank of Major, Jim Harrison continued his more than 30 year military career with the US Air Force, serving in the Strategic Air Command as a B-52 Commander during the Cold War. He and his family, including sons Michael and James Jr., served on military bases across the country, from California to Maine. Upon his retirement from the Air Force in 1964, Jim joined United Airlines, flying out of Stapleton Airport in Denver , where he also served as a instructor pilot for United , tutoring many American and international pilots in the intricacies of piloting a commercial airliner. Jim was an avid outdoorsman, hunter and fisherman. He raised, trained and loved many dogs and cultivated an extensive vegetable garden at his home in Lakewood. Jim was a member of St. Jude Catholic Church in Lakewood and a long time member of the Knights of Columbus, attaining the rank of 4th Degree Knight. As a young boy, Jim Harrison would sit in the branches of a gum tree in the backyard of his Texas home, flying in a makeshift cockpit, reliving the exploits of his comic book hero, ""Tailspin Tommy"". In March, 2007, after a lifetime of service to his country, his community and his family, Jim was invited to the White House along with his fellow Tuskegee Airmen to receive the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor for his service . The rest of his life, Jim always said, he gave to the Lord. James Harrison is survived by his wife, Margaret, his children, Jeanette Harrison-Sullivan, Michael W Harrison and James E. Harrison, Jr., four grandchildren , Ryan and Bryan Harrison Katherine and James ""Jake"" Sullivan and a great grandchild, Azaiah Harrison. Donations may be made to Denver Hospice, 501 South Cherry Street Suite 700, Denver CO US 80246 or Disable Veterans National Foundation, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati OH US 45250-0301. Please share your memories of James and condolences with his family by selecting the ""sign guestbook"" button below.