James Mazure was born in June 1931 and passed away June 2022. He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Patricia Mazure. He is survived by his 4 children, Kathleen, Mary, James (Jessika) and Patrick and 15 Grandchildren- Colleen Mazure, Annie and Ryan Mazure-Schmidt, Megan, Kelsey, Brenna and Jillian Smersh, Quinn, Max, Winston and Kennedy Mazure, Jack, Kylie, Joey and Molly Mazure.

Jim was born and raised in Chicago. His father died when he was young so he was raised by his Irish Immigrant mother. He grew up loving the water, swimming in the summers and skating in the winter. It was no surprise that he chose to attend King’s Point Merchant Marine Academy, in New York. On a weekend pass in NYC, he met the love of his life, Pat, and they married shortly after his graduation.

Commissioned as a LTJG, they spent a short tour in Virginia then stationed in London, England. This allowed them the opportunity to travel around Europe. The GI Bill enabled dad to pursue a law degree which brought them back to Illinois where their two daughters were born. After graduation, he worked for the Federal Maritime Commission in Washington DC where their two sons were born. While there, he went to night school for a masters in international law and was in the Navy Reserves. He held several leading positions with the Federal Maritime Commission including Director of the Bureau Compliance, Director of Domestic Regulations and Acting Director of the FMC. He accepted a position in Tokyo, Japan as chairman of the Trans-Pacific Freight Conference. Jim crafted and introduced several domestic and international shipping regulations that are still in effect today. He was well respected in his field. In 1975, he joined a freight conference firm in Seattle which brought his family back to the US and to Mercer Island where he was able to indulge his love of the water with a sail boat and later a tug boat right outside. Jim and Pat loved to travel to places like the Far East, Hawaii and Europe.

Jim was known for his integrity, calm demeanor, sense of humor, love of family and his deep Catholic faith. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him.

Please contact a family member for funeral details.