Obituary of James Earle Tostevin

James Earle Tostevin was born on June 28, 1938, in Mandan, North Dakota, and passed October 7, 2017. Jim was the only son of Edwin D. and Sarah Esther (Gurtner) Tostevin. He graduated with a B.A. degree from Carleton College in Minnesota and earned his M.S. and Ph.D. from The Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton, Wisconsin. After graduation, Jim worked for Columbia Cellulose Corp. in British Columbia until coming to Shelton to work for Rayonier Research Laboratory in 1969. Most of Jim’s years with Rayonier were as head of the Analytical Dept. until he and his wife retired. He was active in setting up the Mountain View Neighborhood Watch and served from 2005-2014 as a Civil Service Commissioner. While in graduate school Jim took up mountain climbing and spent his summers working at various pulp and paper mills in the Northwest. He managed to climb Mt. St. Helens while it still had its top, Mt. Pilchuck, and Mt. Rainier among others in Canada, Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Tetons. Jim was an avid amateur photographer, editor, typesetter, and proofreader for Mandan Daily Pioneer (owned and operated by the Tostevin family) and both his high school and college newspapers and yearbooks. How avid a photographer? He once took 27 rolls of 36 pictures each to record the family vacation to Yellowstone. Jim had a quirky sense of humor and enjoyed puns, the worse the better. He most enjoyed being the Talking Pumpkin in the Mountain View neighborhood. Halloween was always more fun than any other holiday, and for 50 years he entertained the kids. He would decorate the entryway to the house with skeletons, pumpkins, lights, etc. As the children approached the door, the Pumpkin was sitting in a low window behind the screen, decked out in whatever theme was picked for that year. There were speakers in the pumpkin, and Jim was behind a filmy curtain; he could see the kids but they couldn’t see him. A voice would say, “Hey, talk to me!” The kids, startled and curious, would come over to the window, and then the fun began. He asked them what their trick or treat was, and with a bit of teasing and chatter the kids would frequently sing a song or tell a joke. For 50 years, the kids, their kids,and at times even their grandkids visited. The Pumpkin had as much or more fun than the kids. Jim’s favorite pumpkin conversation happened with a little girl dressed as a princess who asked, “How come you can talk?” The Pumpkin answered, “See that light, it keeps my brain warm so I can talk.” The princess thought that over for a bit and said, “My pumpkin can’t talk. My Daddy scraped all its brains out!” He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Patricia (Burke) Tostevin; son, Carl Tostevin and his wife, Mickey McDonough; daughter, Lee Tostevin and her husband, Jeremy Pankratz; grandchildren Kayla Tostevin and Jamie Pankratz. Per his wishes, there will be no formal service or celebration of life. If you wish to honor him, tell a dry joke or share a Jim story with friends.