Hello all. I thought maybe friends and fellow prospectors would like to see and read a little of Jim’s burial.
I traveled over the Klamath / Siskiyou mountains for the graveside service for Jim Foley. It’s about 100 miles from my house to Happy Camp, providing a quiet early morning drive through beautiful country, allowing me to remember Jim. It was comforting.
Jim was laid to rest towards the top of a gentle slope overlooking the small local cemetery in Happy Camp, Ca. It was a small ceremony with folks from his church in Yreka, his family, including wife Linda, daughter Nicole and husband, son Jim Jr. and some fellow prospector
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The simple casket was made by a friend of Jim’s out of local pine with natural rope handles and a cross on top. Six of us unloaded the casket from the back of a pickup and carried it to the burial framework. Family and friends spoke fondly of Jim and his life. Some fine recollections were said about his mining/prospecting in Alaska as well here in northwest California. The minister then spoke of Jim and his commitment to his church and faith. It was really nice, informal.
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Dave McCraken and I were chatting quietly as we all gathered around the casket. I said to Dave, “ look at that pile of good red dirt from Jim’s grave, what do you think?” Dave says, “well, it’s hard to tell, you can’t see the grey layers where the gold would be with it all shoveled into a pile like that.” We were kinda smiling at each other when a young man sitting with Jim’s family (son in law I believe) said, “what do you guys think, paydirt?”
Like I said, it was real nice, Jim would have liked all of it.
Mike
