James C. Kingman

James Charles Kingman, 77, of Moline, Illinois, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, October 12, 2019, due to the after-effects of a stroke and his weakened health stemming from having polio as a child.

Services are 11:30 a.m. Thursday in the Horizon Room at Trimble Funeral Home at Trimble Pointe, 701 12th Street, Moline, with visitation one hour before the services. Cremation will take place at Trimble Crematory, and burial will be at Moline Memorial Park. After witnessing the effects of mental illness on several loved ones, Jim asked that his memorials to be given to the National Association for Mental Illness.

Jim Kingman was born in Chicago on Dec. 26, 1941, to Charles Edward Kingman and Bernice (Black) Kingman.

In 1951, as a polio epidemic swept the country again, Jim contracted a severe case of the deadly disease. Against all predictions, Jim survived. He spent many weeks in the hospital's polio ward, inside an Iron Lung which breathed for him. Though Jim recovered from the disease, the effects of polio remained with him for the rest of his life, including weakness in his left leg that increased with age.

After his initial recovery from the disease, Jim returned to school and activities. In high school he was on the swim team, worked as a lifeguard, and was very involved in his high school's drama club. He graduated from Arcadia High School, Arcadia, California, in 1959. Though he wanted to study acting and was encouraged to do so by his high school drama teacher, his parents urged him to pursue a more practical degree. Jim attended what was then called Portland College (now Portland State University) in Portland, Oregon, graduating in 1963 with a degree in accounting. Jim met and married his first wife, Judith Smith, in Portland.

Jim spent most of his career as an auditor for the Internal Revenue Service. His career took the family all over the West, including a decade in Helena, Montana. Jim also founded a software company that specialized in educational software for people with developmental disabilities.

In the mid 1980s, Jim moved to Chicago. He married Christine DePoorter. After retiring from the IRS in 1994, Jim moved to Moline and began to more deeply explore his hobby of nature photography, winning several awards for his photographs of bird life along the Mississippi River. In 2006 he married the love of his life, Lynn Wilkinson Dorr, and was a devoted stepdad to her two sons and "Grandpa" to a growing number of grandchildren.

Jim had many interests through his life, and taught himself numerous skills, including carpentry, sewing, robotics. and more. His main sources of joy, however, were cooking, photography, his dogs, and classical music, and being an avid Chicago Cubs fan.

He was predeceased by his parents, Charles and Bernice Kingman.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife Lynn Wilkinson Kingman, of Moline; his children, Jeffrey Kingman [Brandi McDonald] of Atlanta, Georgia, the Rev. Cecilia Kingman [Alan Preston] of Seattle, Washington, Jennifer Kingman of Milwaukie, Oregon, and David Kingman [Lauren Flores] of Portland, Oregon; his stepsons Robert Dorr of Moline and Daniel Dorr [Megan Dorr] of Minneapolis, Minnesota; his grandchildren, Isaac Miller [Jennie Glass], India Miller, Grace Gabrielson, Ellie Gabrielson, William Kingman, Emmaline Kingman, Hannah Preston, and Elizabeth Preston,

Jim's family wants to note that the lingering effects of polio brought him to an early death, and they urge people to support vaccinations against childhood diseases. Condolences may be shared at TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.