James Brostol

JAMES D. BRISTOL

Waukon

James D. Bristol, 97, who lived and practiced law in Waukon for more than 60 years, died Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, at his retirement home in Burbank, Calif.

Jim was born in Onslow, Iowa, on Jan. 4, 1919, but grew up in the 1920s and '30s in Clinton. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, in 1941. At the university, he was a member of a fraternity, a writer and the assistant sports editor of The Daily Iowan newspaper. He also met his wife of 53 years, Jeanne (Kelly) Kellogg. They were married at the Kellogg farm in Percival, Iowa, on Aug. 21, 1941.

Shortly thereafter came the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the commencement of America's entry into World War II. Jim served in the Air Force as a first lieutenant in the 482nd Bomb Squadron as a radar navigator with 26 missions in B-29s. He was stationed on Tinian Island in the Marianas, flying over Japan, Iwo Jima and the occupied islands of the South Pacific, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and the Medal of Honor with 4 clusters.

After the war, Jim returned to Omaha, Neb., where Kelly was living and working while he was overseas. He attended Creighton University Law School while working as well, graduating with his law degree in the spring of 1948.

He desired to live again in Iowa, so after taking and passing the Iowa Bar Exam, he was fortunate enough to learn of a possible job as an associate with an attorney in Allamakee County. This began the start of his career in Waukon with his legal mentor and friend, Arthur H. Jacobson.

He truly enjoyed the practice of law, his fellow attorneys, and especially working with his 60 years' worth of clients and their families. He also gave of his time and expertise to the overall Iowa legal profession, serving on the State Board of Governors of the Iowa Bar Association in the 1980s, and for many years as a member and eventual chairman of the Iowa Board of Law Examiners.

Jim always was very happy and invested in Waukon. He was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Waukon from his arrival in 1948, a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club and of the Waukon Golf and Country Club from 1949. All of his memberships, committees, local volunteering and associations are too numerous to mention, but Waukon and Allamakee County and everyone in it remained close to his heart.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Jeanne (Kelly), in 1995 and his son, Larsh, in 2006.

He is survived by his daughter, Kappy of Los Angeles.

A remembrance gathering will be held for Jim at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon in the coming months so that his friends, relatives and colleagues have a farewell to share with him.

Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.