James 'Jim' William Caley

JAMES "JIM" WILLIAM CALEY November 10, 1944 ~ November 8, 2011 Jim Caley, 66, passed away unexpectedly on November 8, 2011. He was born on November 10, 1944 in McMinnville, Oregon to John and Alberta Caley. He grew up in Benton City, Washington. He was always interested in politics, and at age 16, went to Washington, DC to work for Senator Warren Magnuson as a U.S. Senate Page. In 1962, he began study at the University of Washington and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1966 and Accounting in 1968. Throughout college, he was an active member in his fraternity, Theta Xi and met many lifelong friends. He met his wife, Joan, at a fraternity/sorority exchange in 1966. They began dating in 1968 and married in 1970. After college, he worked for Price Waterhouse until he moved to Vancouver to work for the Young Corporation. His experience as a page fueled his interest in politics and he was active in Young Democrats at the UW and then in the Clark County Democratic Party. He served as the Clark County Democratic Chair for many years - many local democrats said that he was the "key" to getting things done. Jim also enjoyed flying and owned his own airplane until he later traded the plane for the down-payment on their home when Jim and Joan began to raise their family. In 1978, he started an accounting firm that would later become Caley & Associates. He gradually built his firm into one of the larger accounting firms in Clark County. His first daughter, Elizabeth Anne was born in 1980 and his second daughter, Alexandra Marie was born in 1984. Jim loved his family's annual vacations in Hawaii and dreamed about retiring there. He was very active in his profession and served on the Washington State Board of Accountancy helping pass several pieces of key legislation that strengthened the integrity of the accounting profession. He served for many years on the Clark College Board of Trustees and also on the board of Columbia River Mental Health Services for 27 years. He is survived by the "Iron Triangle" - his beloved wife, Joan and two daughters, Lyzz Stewart (Ian) and Ali Smith (Jeremy) and his cousin, Sylvia Pohl, as well as many great friends, fraternity brothers, coworkers, clients, and Paris and Abby - two very spoiled dogs. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Friday, November 18, 2011 at 12:30 p.m. at Evergreen Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his name to Columbia River Mental Health Services.

James 'Jim' William Caley

November 10, 1944 - November 8, 2011