James Alexander Ginter was born on July 9, 1939 in Inglewood, California, to Jean and Glen Ginter. Jim spent his first 18 years in the Los Angeles area, where he fondly remembers riding his horse Apache on the local beaches.
He moved to Santa Barbara with friends for college, where he later met and married Bonita Johnson. Bonita tragically died, leaving Jim to raise their young son Bret on his own.
Jim was a real estate appraiser for the Santa Barbara County Assessor’s Office for 29 years. This is where he met his wife of 37 years, Susan Dalton. Susan and Jim loved traveling together, making trips to Hawaii, Europe, Alaska, the East Coast, and different parts of Canada; but he would look back on the family trips in their RV along with their daughter Brigette to the many national parks which they visited as some of the happiest times in his life.
Jim was a natural born athlete. In the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, you could find Jim on the volleyball courts of East Beach playing on his lunch break. He was affectionately known by his friends the Nooners as “King” for his aptitude, skill and
competitive nature.
He loved and partook in a variety of outdoor activities – tennis, golf, swimming, hiking and biking – making good friends along the way.
Besides sports, Jim’s other interests in life were varied. He enjoyed reading, gardening and playing bridge. It was not unusual to find him engaged in an analytical discussion after reading an interesting book or watching a good movie. He always had his interpretation and was eager to discuss it.
A great accomplishment and source of satisfaction for Jim was designing and building a house in Tahoe Donner along with his son Bret.
Jim was devoted to his family and will be dearly missed by them and his friends. He passed away on Jan. 9, 2022 and is survived by his wife Susan; son Bret (Elizabeth); their children Crystal, Ian, Amanda and Jake; and daughter Brigette (Venessa); and infant granddaughter Harlow Wren Ginter.
