Steven Dean James

Steven Dean James

Steve James died early morning on September 21, 2020, after a lengthy illness complicated by COVID-19.  Born November 30, 1956 in Berkeley, California, to Nancy Patricia (Johnston) James and Harry James, Jr., Steve spent most of his life in Sacramento in the Woodlake neighborhood his maternal grandparents Carl and Myrtle (Dean) Johnston established in the early 1920s through the 1960s.  He attended Woodlake Elementary and graduated from Norte Del Rio High School in 1975, following which he attended Hawaii Loa College in Honolulu for several years.  Steve had a long career as a courier; as a driver, he loved handling a nice car.  He enjoyed travel within the United States, especially Hawaii, and took many fun trips with his maternal aunt Carolyn Dean (Johnston) Slobe, who raised him as one of her own, and his cousin Gary Slobe.  After his mother died in 1998, Steve became the largest shareholder of the North Sacramento Land Company.  As a child Steve was a decent sketch artist, specializing in goofy and entertaining cartoons.  As he got older, he was an avid consumer of the San Francisco Chronicle and the History Channel; he mastered trivia and knew virtually all there was to know about television shows from the 1950s and 1960s, especially The Andy Griffith Show.  Steve was a steadfast and kind friend.  Those who got to know him well, including his close friend from childhood until his death, Roland “Rolly” Allred, uniformly testify to his “heart of gold.”  Steve is survived by his aunt Carolyn Slobe; his cousins Gary Slobe, Wendy Dean (Slobe) Blakemore and Robert “Bob” Johnston Slobe, who considered him a brother; Wendy’s children Katy Blakemore Evans and Patrick Blakemore and their families; Bob’s wife Kimberly J. Mueller; as well as his uncle Bob’s sister Mary (Slobe) Lynly.  He was predeceased by his beloved mother Nancy, his uncle Robert “Bob” John Slobe, his cousin Sari K. Slobe Chadwick and Wendy’s husband Christopher “Kit” Wyatt Blakemore.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations honoring Steve’s love of animals and nature may be made to the Sacramento SPCA or the Sacramento Tree Foundation

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