James Valov

James “Jim” Valov, 60, of Columbia

Falls, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on Aug. 8, 2011, in

Seattle, Wash. Cardiac failure was suspected.

Jim was born Sept. 22, 1950, in

Alhambra, Calif. to second-generation Russian parents. Jim’s

father, Jack, a leading industrial engineer for the state of

Calif., co-authored the first CAL OSHA program, later adopted by

FED OSHA.

In Orinda, Calif., Jim learned to sail

large sailboats in San Francisco Bay. Upon the death of his father,

his mother moved the family to Sydney, Australia. Jim completed a

four-year “indentured” apprentice program in auto mechanics at the

Seaforth Technical College in New South Wales in 1970.

In was in Australia that Jim learned to

love racing motocross. On his return to America, he took passage on

a frigate in 1974 to the Panama Canal, bought an inexpensive

motorcycle and drove alone up through Central America. He made it

across the border with 10 cents in his pocket.

In San Diego, he worked at Woody’s shop

on imports and exotics, but spent all of his spare time racing

motocross and desert racing. He was probably most proud of entering

and finishing the Baha 1,000 on a motorcycle and the three years he

entered and finished the grueling Tecate 500 Enduro, finishing 11th

open in 1980.

Jim met his wife of 33 years, Natalie

McRae, in San Diego, while she was at UCSD. They married in 1986

and had two daughters, Michelle and Jamie. They owned and ran Sun

Performance, an import repair shop, for seven years. The family

moved to Montana in 1994 to Whitefish and eventually settled in

Columbia Falls. Jim worked and opened CA Automotive and Exhaust in

Whitefish for more than 10 years.

Jim loved to ski and before long became

an active volunteer for the last 15 years in most all of Big

Mountain Ski Resort’s racing events. Jim also loved to camp, fish

and hunt and never missed a season. He also volunteered as a youth

soccer referee for the USSF for three years, coached for Columbia

Falls Youth Soccer and was an active father in all of his

daughter’s 4H, Band Club and varsity soccer events.

Jim loved life and was a kind and

loving person. He loved to talk to almost anyone. He was always

going out of his way to help someone in need. Jim was very

fortunate to see both of his daughters happily married in his last

year.

He is predeceased by his father Jack

and his brother Greg Valov.

Jim is survived by his spouse Natalie;

daughters Michelle Kropp and husband Kevin, and Jamie Nedved and

husband Casey; mother Francis Valov; sisters Anne Sloan and Debra

Valov; brother Chris Valov; and seven nephews and nieces. He will

be missed greatly by his family, his friends, his customers, his

co-volunteers and his devoted dog Bode.

Memorial services will be held at

Fairview Cemetery in Columbia Falls at noon on Saturday, Sept. 10,

2011, followed by a celebration of his life at 1 p.m. at Glacier

River Ranch, on U.S. 2 in Coram. Everyone is welcome to attend.

People are asked to come as they are, as Jim would have appreciated

that.