Great Silent Engines

[Rudy Formanek]

It's taken a while to sink in, we were very close. RIP my friend. Wish you didn't have to go.

Rudy

 

[David Santistevan]

It was Jim that convinced me to try Punch fuel back at the 2014 Nats. This year when I was having trouble getting it I called him because I knew he had a relationship with Steven O'Donnell. Jim spent the next week and a half calling around on my behalf trying to round up some fuel for me and he would call me every couple of days to tell how his efforts were going. I talked with Diane yesterday morning and she is doing as well as expected. She was with him until the end.

 

[mr_fons]

I also was fortunate to meet Jim and his lovely wife at the 2014 Namba Nats. in Washington,

a great person who was willing to help and give advise to any and all that asked.

The hobby will dearly miss you.

Fons

 

[dave roach]

I was out of town yesterday and got a call from Rick Kirbitz.Rick told me that Jim Wilson pass away and I was in total shock from the news.Jim and I became good friends over the last 5 years trading INFO back and forth.I talked to Diane on the phone yesterday and told me what was going on with Jim.My wife Nancy and I got to spend some time with Jim and Diane in there home in Calfornia on are way to Hawaii.Prayer for the Wilson family.Jim rest in peace.

Dave and Nancy Roach

 

[Ray Sametz]

Jim doing what came natural, helping out at NAMBA Nats 2014.

Would like to thank Rob Duckening for great photos.

 

[Ron Zaker Jr]

Very sad news ,cool guy.

 

[Will Gallagher]

I first met Jim in 1979. We were both building Wing Ding 20 boats. He shared his knowledge and encouraged me to think and work harder as he did with others. I still have that Wing Ding 20 and will always have fond memories of Jim..

Jim Wilson, a true Man among Men..

 

[Joe Wiebelhaus]

So sad, met Jim several years ago in Hobart, he will be missed, prayers to him and his family.

 

[Alan Elzer]

GREAT LOSS, MET HIM SEVERAL YEARS AGO AT HOBART. WE WERE INSTANTLY FRIENDS.

DEEPLY SORRY TO HERE... IS THERE SOMEONE WE CAN SEND CONDOLENCE'S?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[brad nichols]

Jim was probably telling Stu he needed bigger tanks in that twin! A man who could burn 17oz. of fuel in a 20 boat in a race, knew how to burn fuel and make power!! A vast amount of knowledge that was available to anyone who asked, is lost.

RIP Jim

 

[Mike Betke]

Very sad news. It was always a pleasure talking with Jim at Hobart and having him announce the races.

He will be missed. Condolences to the family.

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

We just returned from a trip to California to bring back a car our daughter gifted us. On the drive back, a stop over at Jim and Diane's home in Fremont had been planned for at least two months. Jim had shared with me his health challenges, but was greatly looking forward to our visit. He even called me Monday afternoon to check on our travels up Hiway 1.

While my wife and I were having lunch at Bubba Gump's in Monterey on Tuesday, I opened the e-mail from Al Waters telling of Jim's passing. I immediately called Diane to say we could make other arrangements to spend Tuesday evening, but she insisted we come to their house for dinner and to spend the evening. When we arrived there was a lot of hugging and crying. And then several servings of gin and tonics and wine and a wonder dinner. There was a setting for Jim and a photo on the dining room table.

Diane knew that Jim was "on borrowed time" because of the damage to his heart. But, that the clock would stop early last Tuesday was still a shock. In 50 years of model boating, I've met some amazing individuals and Jim was definitely one of the most amazing. And, has been mentioned in previous posts, he willing shared his knowledge. Like so many, I will truly miss my good friend, Jim Wilson.

JD

 

[TimothyJones]

I never met Jim I believe, but after reading these posts I feel like I know him a little.

The impact he has had on fellow hobbyist is shown on these posts.

I sure wish i had the opportunity to be around him.

Tim

 

[Tom Foley]

RIP Jim .

 

[Roger Hooks Jr.]

Couldn't make it to the the services as my daughter's, who is majoring in theater had he very first play of her college career where she landed the first role. No one else could make it so I thought it best that dad be there to support.

Jim new me as a kid. He can recall me before I can recall him. My first memory of him was his Wing Ding that he called Critter. He also had a B mono and on the stand it said Critter Cradle. His boats were always prestine and very fast. I remember he had his 60 Wing Ding in LA screaming down the front straight-away when it found a whole in the water. When the boat came back up it had bent those aluminum brackets so far that both sponsons were sticking up in the air. That was my first recollection of Jim.

I grew up watching him in B Mono. I feel like I watched every heat and how he drove. I even watched how he practiced. He practiced the entire race from Mill to finish and I watched it all. Learned a lot from him and how to time a start and hold that inside lane exiting turn 1. I'd have to say I learned how to nail starts from watching him. That slow creep to the start to secure lane one just may have started with Jim. He practiced that weekend after weekend in addition to perfecting his boat during the week. He won almost all the time and being one that sought out competition I couldn't wait to get a boat fast enough to compete with him.

Being the Gentlemen that Jim was he actually gave my dad the plans to build a 60 size version of his Madam X. The boat ended up being a District Champion several times over. I even got to race Jim head to head with it in Oregon. We raced neck and neck until a clipped buoy sent my boat flying into the air right into Jim's boat. I think we both had wished he had not gave my dad the plans for that boat at that time.

But ironically, I don't know maybe several years later he even let me drive Madam X one day at the pond during lunch in my good shoes. Since i had on my Stacy Adams and he had on John Deere's he asked me to drive his boat out while he launched. Knowing how much of a prize this boat was to him I expected to pass the transmitter to him right when he talked up to me from the shore. To my surprise he asked me to open it up. (BUT DON"T GET CLOSE THE BUOYS)... Yah I guess he watched me for many years too. LOL! Nevertheless I took Madam X around the pond at full boar several times. The boat drove like a precision machine. That was truly and honor and a privilege that day.

Somewhere in there we battled a few years in B Mono. I think we were the main attraction on Saturday. Although there were others boats racing seemed that all people wanted to see was me and Jim go at it. We had quite the rivalry. With both boats holding the fastest times set in NAMBA it took one of us to go faster than we had ever gone to beat the other. Unfortunately most ended in a DNF by one or the other sometimes at the hand of the other but we had a clear understanding that we were just racing and there was little room for error. He would ask "Did I cut you off? Sorry if I did and I say No! It was tight. WE both knew it would be. If it happened to him he'd reply the same. It was kind of funny because we spent so much effort trying to beat each other (ending in DNFs) that the boat that finished second in just about every heat won the high point trophy for the year.

But as some have mentioned Jim was a more than a boat racer. He was quite the corporate master with many years working at IBM. I'd sit and talk with him about business ideas. I even invited him over to my office to talk about business and the possibility of him giving me guidance as a board advisor.

He as well as Diane even shared some advice on how to keep a marriage going for so many years. I took their advice to heart.

As in heated competition sometimes we rubbed each other the wrong way over the years but it never prevented us from coming back to a hand shake, How Ya Doing and a Good to See Yah at just about every race.

There was a member of our District who wanted to get Jim a shirt to highlight his success in RC boating that something along the lines of "The Benchmark for whom all others are measured" For us in District 9 I'd me remiss if I said it wasn't true.

 

[namba276]

Jim was truely our benchmark in sport21. Anyone in district 9 knows how much that class has meant to me...I started racing my scratch built 21's in A hydro then wrote the proposal to add the class to our schedule. After some time, jim found the class to his liking. He made it a tough class and won pretty much all the time. After returning in 2014 I built a new version of my scratch built hull. It performs well and got jims attention. He told me it was the best I had done and we began running some heated competition. We were beginning to figure things out and getting faster, but never really had enough for jim. I still can't believe he's gone...some people you meet just seem immortal. Jim Wilson was that to me. Miss ya Jim

Bob Tuttle

 

[Michael Caruso]

God Bless Jim R.I.P. and strength for his Family. I was lucky to hear him talking with other boaters at Hobart.

 

[shoboat]

Mike McKnight,

Did the video of the memorial service ever get uploaded?

Never saw anymore information on that?

Thanks,

Mark Sholund

 

[Mike McKnight]

I thought I had sorry. Here it is.

https://vimeo.com/175627061

 

[shoboat]

Mike,

Thank You for sharing this film with us who could not make it out

to the service.

Much Appreciated,

Mark Sholund