Remembering Jim Harper

devoted husband, father, grandpa, brother and friend

There will be a gathering early October, 2025 in Santa Cruz, California for family and friends to celebrate Jim’s life.
Please check back here for more details, which will be added in the coming weeks.

On October 9, 2024, James (Jim) Robert Harper of Los Gatos, CA passed away suddenly at age 68 while playing tennis, a sport he loved.Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Jim had a happy childhood playing baseball and tennis. He was also a Boy Scout, an early indication of his love for the outdoors and dedication to personal growth.Jim excelled as a student, graduating with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue before earning a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford and an MBA from Harvard. Successful careers followed, where Jim worked as a Marketing Executive at Apple and Cisco.Jim met his wife, Melissa Herrington, while they were both working at the Solar Energy Research Institute (now NREL) in Boulder in the early 80s. They bonded over a shared a love for the outdoors – hiking, cross country skiing, and later biking, and were together ever since.

Jim had a passion for music, often noodling on his guitar, bass, and piano. Ever the engineer, he was constantly renovating, improving, and thoughtfully tinkering around his home. Jim could often be found at the homes of his daughters, Whitney and Emily, helping with renovations, washing windows, and figuring out crafty ways to make their lives a little easier.His love for outdoor activities was matched by a deep appreciation for nature. Jim’s family affectionately dubbed him the ‘unofficial trail maintenance man’ for his habit of picking up trash and moving obstacles from trails – small, selfless acts driven by his dedication to leaving the world a cleaner, kinder place.Jim was a history buff who loved keeping up with politics, current events, and the financial world. He had a knack for making complicated topics easy to understand, sparking engaging conversations with his curiosity and logical mind.Retirement meant more opportunities for Jim and Melissa to take long bike trips and explore the US. In recent years, they split their time between Los Gatos and Boulder, where they had a second home that allowed them to spend time with their two daughters and four young grandkids. Jim was not only an excellent dad, always ready to help solve any problem, but his boundless energy and playful spirit also made him an incredibly fun, loving and engaged grandpa.Jim will be remembered for his kindness, warm smile, positive approach to life, and generosity toward family, friends, and neighbors. His unexpected passing has left a deep void, and we miss him dearly, but his spirit lives on in the love, memories, joie de vivre, and wisdom he shared with us.