James William Cernich Obituary

James William Cernich belonged to this generation. He passed away, surrounded by family, on July 31, 2024. He was 94.

Jim, as he was known to friends and family, enlisted in the U.S. Navy shortly after his 18th birthday, having been three years too young for WWII. His brother Bob had previously enlisted. Jim saw action soon enough off the waters of the Korean Peninsula. He was assigned as a gunner on the Baltimore-class heavy cruiser USS Helena (CA-75), one of the flagships of the United States Seventh Fleet that was tasked with pounding enemy positions.

Jim was born to John and Bertha Crnich, the middle brother of three. Part of the large, tight-knit Crnich clan of Bellingham, Washington, Jim and Bob, and later their younger brother Mike (who served in the Air Force), grew up surrounded by many cousins and relatives. Both Jim and Bob adopted the "Cernich" spelling of their Croatian name when they enlisted in the military. While born in Sumas, Washington, Jim lived on both sides of the mountains in the state, having spent years in Ellensburg as well as Bellingham where he lived with his wife Belle before the couple retired first to Florida and then to Texas.

BaseballA natural athlete, Jim lettered in football, basketball and baseball at Bellingham High School. Baseball, however, was his first love. He was an exceptional player, playing first base and pitching in the 1950s with the "Deming Loggers," the famous Whatcom County semi-pro team that sported nine brothers of the Zender logging family. He also played with the Bellingham Bells. Jim's interest in baseball continued throughout his life and he often cited entire rosters of players from decades earlier, even giving a play-by-play account of the long-ago games. He adopted the Texas Rangers after he moved to Texas and was a frequent attendee at home games, including their first World Series appearance in 2010.

GolfAnother defining passion for Jim throughout the years was golf, whether he was on the course or watching from the sidelines. He could "shoot" his age into his 90s, often surprising younger players with whom he got paired. After retirement, he used to play bi-monthly with his son in Florida, attending tournaments as much as possible. After relocating to Farmers Branch, he often said that his favorite country club was the public course Luna Vista. Living next to Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, he called himself a "golf ball farmer" for all the balls that landed in his yard from hook shots made from the nearby links. He routinely collected and donated those wayward balls to The First Tee, a charitable organization that supports kids learning to play golf.

Jim also was an avid bowler, participating with his wife Belle in bowling leagues with friends.

But more than anything, Jim loved (and was dearly loved by) his large (and ever-growing and blended) family, which is spread out across the country from Washington State to Florida. He leaves behind five children, 12 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. "Grandpa" and "GGPop" as he was known by the youngest family members, was a master of teaching "the raspberry," making Swedish pancakes, having special powers of turning red lights to green and keeping tabs on everyone through Facebook, whether they knew it or not. He could often be found at any one of his children's and grandchildren's home or businesses, helping keep things running smoothly or just "supervising.". Even in his late 80s, he was helping his grandson-in-law build a pergola. He made every single grandchild feel special.

He is survived by the love of his life, his wife Belle Cernich of 57 years, son and daughter-in-law James and Cherise Cernich of Florida, son Todd James Cernich of Bellingham, Washington; son and daughter-in-law Todd and Brooke Gritch of Fort Worth, Texas; daughter and son-in-law Sherry Gritch and Mansour Gorji of Dallas, Texas; and daughter and son-in-law Teena McMills and Tom McCormack of Dallas, Texas. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren: Todd A. Cernich, Angela Cernich, Trevor Cernich, Tyler Cernich, Taylor Cernich, Matthew Cernich, Jordan Cernich, McKayla Cernich-Pendley; Molly McMills Salomon, Meg McMills Buckley, John Carl Gritch, Jayme Gritch Manion. He also is survived by 8 great grandchildren, a brother, Mike Crnich of Lyndon, Washington, and four nephews, David Cernich, Chad Crnich, Tommy Cernich and Dale Cernich, all of Washington State, and two nieces, Heidi Jones and Heather Crnich of Arizona. Mr. Cernich is preceded in death by his parents, John and Bertha Crnich, his brother Robert "Bob" Cernich and two infant sisters, Vera and Mary Crnich.

Funeral services will be Friday, August 16, 2024 at 11 a.m. at the Cornerstone Christian Church, 14008 Distribution Way in Farmers Branch, followed by a reception at the church. Directly following, a military burial will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Arlington, Texas.