James Darwin Pitchford, 64, died Thursday, Sept. 20, 1991, of cancer in the Bear Lake County Hospital in Montpelier.

Born May 22, 1927, in Green River, WY to Fred Andrew and Eva Myers Pitchford. He attended school in Green River where he graduated in 1945 and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed in Pearl Harbor and remained there until the war ended. He then returned to Green River and married his high school sweetheart, Shirley Fay Norris, on March 17, 1948, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They lived in Salt Lake until he graduated from the University of Utah, in 1951. He later worked on his master’s degree at BYU where he had an assistantship. He taught school in E. Carbon, UT, and Pima, AZ, before moving to Montpelier in coaching and social studies until his retirement in 1989. He was an active member of the LDS Church and was a high priest at the time of his death. He had served as Elders Quorum president, ward mission leader and many other positions throughout his life.

He was well known for his ability in riding and breaking horses, and for his basketball career, which he played until he was in his 50s. In his youth he was an all-state basketball player in the state of Wyoming and once had an offer from a pro basketball team which he turned down, because he didn't want to be separated from his family.

He is survived by his wife of Montpelier; six children, Mrs. Jim (Penny) Alston, Ogden UT; Mrs. Jim (Wendy) Lloyd, Border lD; Mrs. Dyer, Smithfield UT; Mrs. Tom (Kim) Hulme, Montpelier; son, Randy Pitchford, Montpelier; Mrs. Wayne (Kelly) Peterson, Kaysville UT; 17 grandchildren, and two sisters, Mrs. Winifred Van Valkenverg of Rock Springs WY; and Mrs. Helen Cross of Milwaukie OR.

Funeral services were held Tuesday in Montpelier Fifth Ward Chapel. Burial was in the Montpelier Cemetery.