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James Jay “Jim” Galbreath

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Birth	:	10 Jun 1924 Live Oak, Sutter County, California, USA
Death	:	27 Feb 2011 California, USA
Burial	:	Live Oak Cemetery, Live Oak, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate	:	39.2768784, -121.6790924
Plot	:	Sect 2 Lot 21 Space B
Description	:	Jim Galbreath: Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, and Friend James Jay Galbreath was the eldest of six brothers born to Beverly Jay and Mae (Nunes) Galbreath in Live Oak, California. He was of the fourth generation of the Galbreath family that had resided in the small farming community of Live Oak. As he grew, he worked in the various fruit orchards that the family owned and learned to love nature there and by spending part of his summers in the area of what is now known as Mount Shasta and then was known as Sisson. As a child, Jim was often sick, so... Read More	Jim Galbreath: Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, and Friend James Jay Galbreath was the eldest of six brothers born to Beverly Jay and Mae (Nunes) Galbreath in Live Oak, California. He was of the fourth generation of the Galbreath family that had resided in the small farming community of Live Oak. As he grew, he worked in the various fruit orchards that the family owned and learned to love nature there and by spending part of his summers in the area of what is now known as Mount Shasta and then was known as Sisson. As a child, Jim was often sick, so he developed a love of learning while he was laid up in bed and read as many books as he could get his parents, relatives, and friends to give him. The histories of ancient civilizations, as well as that of the United States, were two of his interests, in addition to the geology and geography of the Sacramento Valley and the Sierra Mountains. At one point he decided that his cursive handwriting left something to be desired, so he taught himself to write in the manner of John Hancock's famous signature. His beautiful script was always a joy for others to read. He graduated from Live Oak High School in 1942 with 24 other graduates that year. He almost immediately joined the US Army Air Force and became a radio operator on C-47s and B-25's. He flew all over the Pacific as part of the Far East Air Force. He made thousands of flights, from Hawaii to Australia, the Philippines, Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Kwajalein, and Christmas Island, amongst many others. He saved many a downed airman when he heard their distress calls over his radio. He recounted to his family a particular rescue where his plane located the airmen in a life raft and circled it for a few hours until a Navy ship was able to come and retrieve the airmen from the water. His plane headed back to their base, wondering if they had enough gas to make it. As they came in for a landing, the engines sputtered and stopped as the wheels touched down. They had just made it. During his time in the service, he rose to the rank of Sergeant. When he returned home from World War II, he attended his local community college for two years and was then accepted to Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where he studied pre-law. Instead of becoming a lawyer like his father, however, he got the opportunity to become an archivist with the National Archives and was second in charge of the western states branch in the Bay Area. This job allowed him to work in a field in which he found much enjoyment—that of the history and government of our country. Highlights of his career as an Archivist at the Federal Archives and Records Centers in San Francisco, and then in San Bruno, included working with the FBI immediately after the JFK assassination to find Lee Harvey Oswald's military records, which he found and ably supplied the FBI with the information they needed. Jim also helped Fred Goerner research his book on Amelia Earhart and worked in the US Civil Defense program, with a security clearance of Top Secret, to help prepare the civilian population against nuclear attack. He retired from the Records Center in 1980. He married [redacted for privacy]. They raised two children together: [redacted; 1 daughter & 1 son]. In December 1954, he moved with his wife and daughter to their new home in Mountain View, California, where he lived for the remainder of his life. When [redacted] was in first grade (1955-56), she brought home a notice to her parents that said anyone interested in Boy Scouting should come to a meeting at the school in the evening. Jim went to the meeting and was picked to be the new Cub Master of Pack 80, which was then being formed. After two years as the Cub Master, he moved on to being the Scout Master of Troop 80, as his Cub Scouts were now old enough to become Boy Scouts. Jim continued as Troop 80 Scout Master for the next 41 years, during which time he was often heard saying that the troop was the boys' troop, not his; that they made their own decisions, not him. He received much local and national recognition for his excellence in working in Scouting. Locally, he and his troop received "Outstanding Troop" awards almost yearly throughout his years as Scout Master. His troop loved to build and demonstrate "Rube Goldberg" machines, which are very complicated "machines" built to do a very simple task, such as crush a soda can or raise the flag. The machines always impressed the viewers and made them laugh at the ingenuity and complexity the boys went through to complete a simple task. In 1968 he received The Silver Beaver, the highest national honor given to a Scout Master. Over the years, 65 Troop 80 Scouts became Eagle Scouts under Jim's guidance, which was something about which he felt very proud. He became a very important benefactor and leader for hundreds of boys, who later became very successful in the private and public sectors of their communities. Jim also attended and was the Scout Master for the Stanford Area Council Boy Scouts at several Boy Scout National Jamborees in the late 1970s and early 80s. His love of nature and his respect for the environment was passed down to his children and his hundreds of Boy Scouts. Camping and backpacking trips were a staple of his teaching about protecting and nurturing our environment. Yearly 50-mile backpacking trips with his Scouts were a highlight for him. He would surprise them every year by baking an apple pie by campfire, among other tasty treats. Lassen Volcanic National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Mt. Shasta were just a few of the places he would take his family and Boy Scouts. He climbed Mt. Lassen innumerable times and taught his Scouts to build and sleep in snow igloos during the winter at Mt. Shasta. [redacted] remembers that on her first backpacking trip, she had the honor of carrying the daily lunch sack. On one particular family camping trip, Jim and [redacted] sat out under a pine tree during a thunderstorm, watching the lightning hit trees across the lake from where they were. They were thoroughly engaged and fascinated, but [redacted] wanted them to get out from under that tree! When [redacted] got old enough to go backpacking with his dad, they would head out during the summer on their own and return home happy and grubby from their stay in the mountains. In 1978, Jim joined another organization, Blackberry REACT, a radio communications organization, and served as its president for many years. During parades and other functions in Mountain View, Blackberry REACT worked with the police to monitor the crowds and give assistance to those who needed it. Before cell phones were readily available, members monitored emergency radio communications both day and night to assist travelers and others who needed help. As part of his radio monitoring duty with REACT, Jim had a large base antennae on top of his house, which was connected to his side band CB radio. In one instance, he received a distress call from a sinking boat off the coast of Puerto Rico, 4000 miles away. He was able to telephone the Puerto Rican Coast Guard, who then rescued the boat's crew. After a short time, Jim received a letter from the boat's captain, thanking him for saving the lives of all the men on the boat. Over the years, hundreds of people were helped by Jim and the other Blackberry REACT members. In honor of his commitment to volunteering, the community, and emergency communications, Jim was awarded the first "Jim Galbreath Award" in 2010, which will continue to be awarded to deserving community members in the future. Jim was an easy-going, intelligent, caring man with a ready smile and a great sense of humor. He played the trombone in his high school band, learned to play the ukulele during WWII, and taught himself to play the harmonica, so he could play it and sing with his family and Scouts around the campfire. He loved the color red—his house in Mountain View was always painted redwood red. He had numerous button-up sweaters, jackets, and coats—all red. His favorite football team was the San Francisco 49ers, whose team colors are red and gold. He was such a fan that he had season tickets to the 49er home games since 1951 and went to all five of the Super Bowls in which the 49ers played (and won!). When he couldn't go to a game in person, he would watch them on television, getting excited and jumping up, hollering, "Go! Go! Go!" when one of the team was about to make a touchdown. In his later years, Jim got pleasure from vegetable gardening and grew some amazingly tasty produce. He enjoyed weeding his front lawn on a regular basis, sitting on the lawn with his straw hat protecting his face, a ready smile available to all. People passing on the street would stop and talk with him as he pulled out oxalis, but left his mother's clover to grow freely. Jim had a sense of and an admiration for history—the world's, our country's, our state's, and his ancestors. We honor him now by remembering his history and how much he gave to and inspired in all of us. If you have personal photos of Jim that you would like to display and/or give to the family, please bring them to the service at Cusimano's Colonial Mortuary on Monday, March 7th at 11 am. They will be added to those being brought by the family for all to enjoy seeing. Source: Cusimano Colonial Mortuary

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is James Jay “Jim” Galbreath's memorial?
James Jay “Jim” Galbreath's memorial is located at: Live Oak Cemetery, Live Oak, Sutter County, USA.
When did James Jay “Jim” Galbreath death?
James Jay “Jim” Galbreath death on 27 Feb 2011 in California, USA
Where are the coordinates of the James Jay “Jim” Galbreath's memorial?
Latitude: 39.2768784
Longitude: -121.6790924

Family Members:

Parent

Beverly Jay Galbreath

(1896 - 1981)

Mae E. Nunes Galbreath

(1896 - 1986)

Siblings

Beverly Kay Galbreath

(1929 - 1992)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Live Oak Cemetery
Live Oak, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2768784, -121.6790924

2. Muslim Cemetery of Northern California
Live Oak, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2783620, -121.6799010

3. North Butte Cemetery
Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2924995, -121.8067017

4. Gridley-Biggs Cemetery
Gridley, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 39.3793983, -121.6877975

5. Pugh Cemetery
Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2505989, -121.8086014

6. Sutter Cemetery
Sutter, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1697006, -121.7438965

7. Marysville Cemetery
Marysville, Yuba County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1621367, -121.5889756

8. Marysville Jewish Cemetery
Marysville, Yuba County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1615300, -121.5879100

9. Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery
Marysville, Yuba County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1591310, -121.5908240

10. Praise Chapel Mausoleum
Yuba City, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1383610, -121.6127890

11. Sutter-Yuba Memorial Park
Yuba City, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1384080, -121.6123760

12. Yuba City Cemetery
Yuba City, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1366010, -121.6128270

13. Androus Family Pioneer Cemetery
Iowa City, Yuba County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2936100, -121.4639800

14. Honcut Cemetery
Honcut, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 39.3410988, -121.4781036

15. Stohlman Cemetery
Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1516991, -121.8261032

16. Noyesburg Cemetery
Sutter, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2380370, -121.8982840

17. Hamilton Cemetery
Oroville, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4539440, -121.6473150

18. Browns Valley Cemetery
Browns Valley, Yuba County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2332100, -121.4079400

19. Brower Espy Gravesite
Bangor, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4077340, -121.4558840

20. Sierra View Memorial Park
Olivehurst, Yuba County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0872002, -121.5363998

21. Memorial Park Cemetery
Oroville, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4777985, -121.5505981

22. Peoria Memorial Park
Browns Valley, Yuba County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2831001, -121.3891983

23. Oroville Chinese Cemetery
Oroville, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4876700, -121.5742200

24. Meridian Cemetery
Meridian, Sutter County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1364021, -121.9170151