James A. Siverson

June 12, 1956 – March 18, 2022

James (Jim) Arthur Siverson passed away at Emanuel Hospital on Friday, March 18, 2022.

Jim was born to Ona Eileen (Butler) Hamman, and adopted by Arthur W. Siverson, Jr and Jane E. (Sworthart) Siverson on June 12, 1956. He is preceded in death by his parents Art, Jane, and Ona, and his brother Tom. He is survived by his wife, Norma Jean (Bland) Siverson, his sister, Robin Hamman, and brother, Robert Martell.

Jim was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. His brother Thomas Roger Siverson joined the family through adoption in May of 1959. He attended Atkinson Elementary School, K-8, and graduated from Franklin High School in 1974. Jim was always involved with sports as a fan, a manager, and excelled as a statistician. He was a sports writer for the school newspaper,  “The Post”. Jim was part of the committee planning for FHS Class of ‘74 50th Reunion in 2024.

Jim worked in transportation and communication for many years. He drove taxis and dispatched for Radio Cab and Broadway Cab, along with other local companies. He worked in operator services at Pacific Northwest Bell. He served as Union Steward for several years and made many lifelong friendships while working at the phone company, including his wife, Norma “Jeanie” Bland. Their early dates included Portland Winter Hawk games, movie nights, couples cribbage and drives to the historic Columbia River Gorge and around the Mt Hood Fruit Loop.

Jeanie and Jim were married on August 7, 1982. They enjoyed traveling together starting with their honeymoon to Chicago to attend the American Legion National Convention (along with 25 other people). Other travels included Hawaii, Orlando, Nashville, and to the Sworthart Family Farm in Fall River, Wisconsin. Jim and Jeanie renewed their Wedding vows in honor of their upcoming 40th wedding anniversary on February 24, 2022.

He was a voracious researcher, reader, and wordsmith. His interest in genealogy brought him to investigate both his adopted and birth family. This led him to his birth mother, Eileen, in 2016. He was able to meet his biological brother and sister. He enjoyed the works of favorite authors Clive Cussler and David Eddings, and loved everything he could get his hands on about the Civil War and Pacific Theater in World War II. Jim regularly shared out his written work summarizing his research on his Facebook page, earning a vast audience of readers.

Jim was an avid sports fan(atic). He cheered for all teams local – Beavers, Ducks, Blazers, Winterhawks, and Seahawks. He never missed a game when his nephew played football at Lewis and Clark. He loved to attend PSU Football and was often on the sidelines for Franklin Quakers / Bolts games. His heart belonged to the Portland Timbers and he was often awake in the wee hours of the morning to catch his favorite teams in the Premier League Soccer.

He loved Portland, its neighborhoods, and its history – A good day to Jim was an outing across Portland, using mass transit to go to a game, with a good book in his bag. Spiritually, Jim considered himself a man of many denominations. He was fascinated by theology, and was most recently attending St. James Lutheran Church in Portland.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 23 at 11:00am at Sts Peter and Paul Episcopal Church, located at 247 SE 82nd Avenue. A reception will follow from 12:30 – 3:00pm at Oregon Trail American Legion Post #150 at 8329 SE 89th Ave, Portland, OR 97266
Remembrances in honor of Jim can go to the Portland Timber Community Fund https://www.timbers.com/stand-together/community-fund