Jim Bunch, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, born November 25, 1938, passed peacefully in his home on February 28, 2018. Jim was born in Deepwater, MO to Alva and Mamie Bunch. The family moved to Billings when Jim was in first grade because his father loved the great outdoors. Jim graduated from Senior High School in 1958. He attended Eastern Montana College for awhile and was offered a job with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He married his first wife in 1963. After 2 years with the BIA he was offered a transfer to Santa Fe, NM. Jim, his wife, and infant son, Zane, made the move. After deciding to return to Billings, Jim graduated from college in 1969 with a degree in Secondary Education with a full major in Biology and Fine Arts. In 1969 he accepted an Art teaching position at the new Will James Junior High. In 1971, an opportunity arose to teach at West High School. He taught various fine arts classes in addition to a general humanities class there from 1971-1975. In 1975, Jim was one of the teachers hand-picked to teach at the new Career Center. There he established and taught graphic arts and photography classes for 11 years. In 1985, Jim accepted a transfer back to West High to teach Biology and Fine Arts classes.
During his teaching career, Jim opened a small hobby shop called Jim's Junction. Jim's love of model trains helped blossom his modest hobby store into a sizeable retail business. Jim's Junction opened in 1985 and was sold in 1997. The business still exists under the same name.
After a divorce in 1985, in 1989, Jim met and married his Southern Belle, Sandy. At this time, Jim was raising his youngest son, Wayne. Sandy brought her 3 daughters into the relationship and he wondered ever since how he survived.
In 1995, Jim retired from the Billings Public School system to focus on his retail business until 1997, when he decided to sell it and retire. After about 3 years of retirement, he decided a part-time job would be in order, because he found that retirement was not for him. He worked at Home Depot for a short time. In 2001, he started working at Michaels part-time. Part-time turned into full-time, and full-time turned into management. Jim soon turned his passion for art into a framing business of his own, Framing Extraordinaire, performing custom framing, or focusing on his next creative idea. Jim was the kind of individual whom could not stay idle during his retirement. He was often busy completing custom painting for his model railroad collection or for others, of which he had an association with people from all over the world.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Alva and Mamie Bunch, and his infant sister Lucy. Jim is survived by his wife, Sandy Bunch, his children Zane Bunch (Gabrielle), Wayne Bunch (Amy), Lisa Hofferber (Tim), Jodi Breakenridge (Fou Mamea), and Kelly Breakenridge. He is also survived by his 13 grandchildren, Kayla, Benjamin, Zachary, Tori, Cassidy, Madison, Izzie, Josie, Lexi, Jordan, Mason, Ruah, and Solomon.
Memorial Service will be held at Billings Central Christian Church, 1221 16th St. West in Billings at 11 AM March 10, 2018.