James Dennis Grandjean

James ?Jim? Dennis Grandjean entered this life on April 17, 1940 in Slaton, Texas to parents Jules and Tillie Grandjean.  He was called to be with the Lord on June 30th, 2008, while cradled in the arms of his wife and sons.   Jim came from humble beginnings, his father a boilermaker-welder for the Southern Pacific railroad and his mother a supermarket checker and waitress in Trona, California.  His family struggled to make ends meet, but instilled in him the value of education and the opportunity for change it might bring.   Jim lived on and off with his parents and siblings, attended numerous high schools in California and New Mexico during periods of family uncertainty, and was eventually graduated by Trona High School in 1957 (his proudest achievement).   Jim worked as a chemical control technician while attending college before taking active duty in the U.S. Navy reserve in 1963.  As a yeoman on the cruiser/flagship U.S.S. Providence, he traveled the world while his ship transported dignitaries like Henry Cabot Lodge to far-eastern locations such as Japan, Australia, Thailand, and Vietnam.  Upon his return to California in 1965, Jim resumed his studies at San Francisco State University and was graduated with honors in creative writing.  He continued his studies at Hastings College of Law, and was awarded the degree of Juris Doctor in a ceremony attended by Chief Justice Earl Warren of the United States Supreme Court.   Jim?s love of travel took him to Alaska shortly after graduation, where he served as chief counsel and executive director of Alaska Legal Services, an agency dedicated to civil representation for the indigent.   He also served as counsel to three separate committees of the Alaska State Legislature, where he advised and participated in the legislature?s formation of an oil and gas lease policy for the State of Alaska.  He practiced as a civil trial attorney on the side when he met his wife (and ?best friend?) Susan Schaefer in Anchorage, Alaska.  Their marriage in 1977 was blessed with three wonderful sons: Jules, Alain, and James.    Influenced by his early struggles against poverty, Jim returned to the southwest in 1983. In New Mexico, one of the poorest states in the nation, he began work as a public defender in 1985 while simultaneously working in three other government positions.  In 1988, he began practicing concurrently in both Arizona and New Mexico, running a practice which required tedious time and which often refused to bill clients for the services provided.  Ultimately he and his family settled in Prescott, Arizona.  Considering himself a ?humble country lawyer?, he spent the last 20 years of his life tirelessly providing those who could not afford an attorney with legal representation in both civil and criminal matters.    Family was exceedingly important to him.   He worked around a busy schedule to coach sports teams for his sons, participated in scouting activities with them, and enjoyed spending time teaching all three of his sons to drive well before their teenage years; a likely source of gray hair!  He loved deeply and those around him knew they were loved by him.  He was proud of his family, and could not be heard bragging about anything else.   He had a broad palette of passions and interests including film, theater, and jazz music, particularly the music of Django Reinhardt, whom he began writing a book about which he never got to finish.  He was an avid critic of theater in Alaska and published regular reviews in Anchorage?s paper, the Daily News. He loved sports, especially baseball, and could handicap victoriously at the horse races.  His heroes were unlikely people: Sandy Koufax, John Steinbeck, and some of the colleagues he worked with to name a few.      All who have known Jim have been invariably influenced by him in some way.  Though he thought of himself as a ?regular guy? we all thought of him as so much more.  Inspiring and unique are two of many adjectives that can help to describe him, but also gentle, patient, charitable, witty, humble and compassionate.  He leaves us with indelible memories, feelings of love and admiration and a slew of warm laughter-filled stories.  His ?Jim-isms? have been woven into our language including, ?standard? (as a response to, ?How are your doing??), ?stop tying knots in my tail? (when asking someone to tell him the truth), or his friendly title of ?western gentleman? for those he respected most.   Jim is survived by his wife, Susan, and his three sons, Jules, Alain, and James.  He is also survived by his brother Darrell (Angie) Grandjean, sisters Sandie (Ron) Lane and Claudia (Rios), and a wonderful extended family of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.   His heart was full of love for his sons, and for his wife, whom he often referred to as his guardian angel.  He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.