PORT ANGELES — Former Clallam County administrator Jim Jones has died. He was 71.

Jones’ friends and family described him as kind, gentle, generous and intelligent.

“I can never recall him saying something negative about someone,” Jones’ friend Thomas Baermann said. “You want those people in your life.”

Jones was involved in a body boarding incident earlier this month while he was on vacation in Kihei, Hawaii. He died Feb. 17 surrounded by his wife Debbie Jones, his daughter Jodie Jones, Jodie’s partner Trever Elston and two of Jim’s best friends, Bill and Mimi Tiderman.

A few days before the incident, Bill and Mimi’s son, Bret Tiderman, had a conversation with Jim about the legacy he wanted to leave behind.

“It’s really just an off-the-cuff conversation that we just happened to have,” he said. “Looking back at it, it’s very bittersweet.”

The most important thing for Jim was civil service, Bret said.

“He wanted to make sure when people thought of him, they thought about how much joy he had in giving back and being part of his community,” he said. “He hoped other people would do that, too.”

Jim was always involved with at least two or three volunteer organizations at a time, Jodie said. He served on the Olympic Medical Center (OMC) Foundation Board, the Port Angeles High School Hall of Fame committee and the city Parks, Recreation and Facilities Commission, among others.

“He always wanted to leave something better than when he started it,” Jodie said. “He was always just so committed to this community and bettering it.”

Jim also spent 39 years in the Nor’Wester Rotary Club, and he never missed a single meeting. Even when he was vacation, he made a point to attend via Zoom.

“The day before he passed away, we did our Rotary together,” Baermann said.

“A model citizen,” his sister Judi Jones said.

Jim also spent years as an assistant softball coach when Jodie was in sports.

“He’s just an incredible human being,” Jodie said. “And I am so fortunate that he was my dad.”

In his personal life, friends said Jim was always available to provide a listening ear or a helping hand. He helped the Tidermans move, provided support while they cared for aging parents, donated weeks of his timeshare to silent auctions and was a mentor.

“Any way that he could help somebody, he would love to,” Mimi said.

Jim studied business and finances in school. After graduation, he worked in a variety of positions at First Fed, served as the Port Angeles School District executive director for business and operations and then spent 12 years as Clallam County administrator.

“I always admired him about being able to keep all our heads above water,” Clallam County Commissioner Randy Johnson said. “He was always trying to look out for the best interest of the county.”

Jodie said he had an open-door policy, encouraging people to stop by his office and air out their grievances.

“He understood people just want to be heard,” she said. “He was there to listen.”

Jim retired in 2018 to spend more time golfing, traveling and visiting with friends and family.

“He was an awesome golfer,” retired Sheriff Bill Benedict said. “I never beat him. I tried, but he was just too good.”

In addition to civic service, Bret recalled Jim saying that his daughter is one of the most important parts of his legacy.

“His legacy is just passing on the Jones name,” Jodie said. “One thing he always said to me growing up is, ‘If it’s too tough for everyone else, it’s just right for the Joneses,’ and I carry that with me.”

The suddenness of Jim’s death “hit us all so hard,” friend and former softball coach Jim Cheney said. “I’m still kind of in shock over the whole thing, and we’re all going to miss him dearly.”

Jodie said Jim was “the glue that held a lot of things together.”

“It’s going to be quite a hole that is going to be felt by his passing,” Mimi said.

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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.