James William Scherer
September 24, 1930 - October 7, 1996
Uncle Jim, my Mom's brother, was my closest and favorite uncle. He was born in 1930 right after my grandfather had lost most of his money in the stock market crash of 1929. Grandpa Scherer was ready to open grocery stores around Los Angeles in the late Twenties while he also gambled by buying stocks on margin to increase his wealth. After the crash, his dreams of wealth vanished. Then his baby boy, James William, arrived to brighten his days as the Depression set in. Mom was about eleven at the time and enjoyed helping with her baby brother. Her Mom and Dad struggled to keep their home in Long Beach as long as they could.
Bob West, Jim & Helen 1931
Bath or playpen?
About one year on 317 E. Louise St.
Helen & Jim 1933
About 1935
By 1941 they had moved to El Monte homesteading a few acres near the sandy river bottoms nearby. The Second World War brought some relief from the Depression but life in El Monte was still pretty basic. Grandpa had a few horses, chickens, and lots of rabbits. He had transitioned from life as a butcher and grocery store owner to a gardener for those who could afford one. He loved plants and maintained a large garden and a jungle of plants to surround his land. Uncle Jim grew up helping on the ranch and tagging along with his Dad on the gardening routes whenever he could. It looks like he also had time to play cowboy with his friend:
From Harley to Jimmy, El Monte 1941
Shortly after he posed for the picture with his friend in El Monte, his sister, Helen, married Art Collins, my Dad. In the next few years he was blessed with two nieces, my sisters, Zoe and Joyce, and one nephew, myself. Our family would spend many Sundays after Mass traveling to El Monte to visit Grandma Nellie, Grandpa John, and Uncle Jim. Jim was only twelve years older than Zoe, but seemed much older because he was so tall (6ft. 6in) and much further along in school. When he graduated from high school in 1948, he was tall, handsome, and ready to conquer the world.
High School Graduation 1948
When the Korean War broke out in 1950, he joined the Army with some of this friends. Because of his height, he was a perfect fit to string communication wires across the Korean terrain. It was a perilous job. He was climbing a telephone pole when it collapsed from enemy fire crushing his leg. When the news reached my Mom in Fresno, our family drove to Paso Robles to spend the night in a hotel with her parents before visiting Uncle Jim at nearby Camp Roberts. His leg was badly injured and the doctor's couldn't promise that he would walk again. If he could, they said, his leg would be paralyzed. We prayed that he would recover and return to a better life.
Korean War
In 1954 Jim married Maudie Terrell and bought a home in West Covina. He worked in construction and had friends who dug a pool in his backyard saving some of the dirt to form a mound around the pool. I was about ten years old at the time and was fascinated by his shiny car, new house and fabulous pool.
Back from Korea
Later in the Fifties his first marriage had failed, so he moved back to El Monte to help my Grandpa with his gardening business. He saved his money for his toys: classic cars (Chevrolets, Corvettes) and speed boats. He took my sisters and me on his T-Bird powered speed boat on Newport Beach. Gunning the engine, he dared other boats to race him. Another speed boat pulled along side and gunned their engine ready to race. He kept even with them from one end of the inlet to some buoys on the other side. When they made a wide turn, he came almost to a full stop and floored the accelerator as he turned the wheel. The boat almost jumped out of the water nearly throwing us into the ocean. As the boat splashed back down, he had made a perfect 180 degree turn. Then he gunned the engine, leaving the other speed boat far behind. It never caught up and he laughed all the way back to the launch site.
Joyce recalls: "I remember the drive in his Corvette down the road to Santa Anita Racetrack." I recall a similar drive with Jim out towards the desert. We raced about as fast as that Corvette could run as I held on for dear life. He kept on looking over at me to see if I was totally thrilled or terrified. Terror was the best description with the speedometer staying close to 100 mph. As we came to a stop sign, he didn't seem to notice then downshifted through the gears at the last second going from 100 to 0 mph in apparently record time. Then he just smiled.
Jim and Connie with his parents, John and Nellie Scherer (1971)
Joyce also sent pictures from 1976. She remembers: "We took the kids on a train ride from San Jose to Fullerton to see Disneyland. Uncle Jim picked us up at the hotel and drove us to his apartment where we visited with him and Grandma."
Uncle Jim's life took a new turn when he married Connie Keith. He was a gardener and she was an executive with the telephone company, but they shared a love for Connie's daughters, Debra and Diana, the outdoors, ranching, and raising horses. Jim spent endless hours maintaining a ranch near Azusa before finally settling at a second ranch in Hemet.
Jim and Connie and family
With Connie and family years later
Jim made a special trip to San Jose to join in Mom's 75th birthday celebration and met Veronica for the first time.
When he heard that my Dad was in hospice treatment for cancer, Jim visited Mom, Dad, and Joyce in Santa Clara.
A few years later, Connie called us with the news that Uncle Jim had passed away. My sisters and I traveled to Hemet for the funeral and reception. We viewed a slide show of family adventures with Connie, Debbie, and Diane. Jim had conquered a rough start in the Depression, a terrible war injury, and a bad marriage. He was remembered as a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather who loved his family first and then the fast cars, boats, and adventures that went with them. I can still see him smiling after leaving that speed boat far behind on a spectacular sunny day on Newport Beach.
