James Allen Dereamer

No one should have to write an obit for his/her spouse who is only age 64. But here I am doing it. First let’s complete the required details. Jim died peacefully of liver cancer. He will be joining his grandparents, father, and dad in the afterlife. He leaves behind his wife, mother, step-dad, siblings and their spouses, nieces, nephews, aunt, uncle, cousins, and many friends.
Jim was born in Indianapolis to Patricia Shardelow and William Jarrett, Jr. Four years later his father died which affected little Jimmy in profound ways. A year later, Jim got a new dad, John DeReamer, who guided Jim to become the amazing man that he was. Jim’s genius showed at an early age. At the age of 12, in his bedroom, Jim was fixing televisions and radios for family and friends. He also wired his room with lights and audio. He and his friends built a fort condominium in the woods behind his friend’s house. It was a multi-story structure with electricity, heating, carpeting, and the world’s largest bong made from a five-gallon water jug. Jim had many stories about his aspect of his life, but I shan’t repeat them here.
Jim attended the Lexington Technical Institute and earned his Associate of Science (AS) degree in Electronics Engineering. After that he designed and installed light and sound systems in discos around the country. When disco died, Jim came back to the home of his parents. He sat in a soft chair for literally a year until his parents began to worry that he might never leave. They started working Jim toward the front door. Magically, Jim received a call from someone at Texas Instruments, Inc, (TI) who made Jim a job offer over the phone, sight unseen. He took that job and worked for TI for the next 30+ years.
Jim worked in many divisions of TI, including Cybersecurity and top-secret programs for the Department of Defense. During his time at TI, Jim became a student again, and earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science from University of Texas – Dallas. Also, at TI, Jim was nominated and voted to become a member of the Technical Staff starting on the lowest level of the Technical Ladder then working his way up to a Senior member of the Technical Staff. Jim was modest about this huge achievement but it did not change Jim’s normal, sweet demeanor. Jim made lifelong friends working at TI.
It was early in his time at TI that Jim transferred to the Seismic and Geophysical Division of TI. That is where he met Sharon Bachun who would quickly become his beloved wife. When they first met, Jim and Sharon each knew they found their life partner in each other. But, for fear of being judged for becoming engaged so quickly, they kept their relationship secret from family and friends for six months. They were married on November 6 and spent many happy years together. It has devastated Sharon to lose her best friend and confidante so early.
h all of the accolades of his astounding career, the likes of which could fill a book, Jim was always modest. He didn’t talk about his achievements much. Jim loved his job, but what made him happiest was travelling. And travel he did. For many years he and Sharon traveled around Texas and the USA. They quickly visited all 50 states in the USA. They also travelled a bit in Mexico. But it wasn’t until he took his first international trip to Hong Kong and Malaysia, that the travel bug bit him big time.
Since then Jim and Sharon have visited 60 countries. And many times, in many of those countries, they stayed for three months to live like a local. Over four years ago, while in India, Jim and Sharon made a bet. If Jim won, he could sell the house as he had wanted to do for so long. Sharon lost that bet, and the house and all of the belongings were sold or given away, aside from a 10’ by 10’ storage unit and the 2005 Toyota Prius. Since then, they have been vagabonds, with no permanent homebase. Jim would like to say, “Our home is where we sleep each night.”
When asked what his favorite country was, he had a quick answer – Vietnam. It is a beautiful country. But, more importantly, Jim has many friends (really family) there. It was there that he was given the nickname, Baby Jim. And that name has stuck and become his, all over the world. He also has many friends (again family) in Peru and India. His adventures have taken him to the jungle, on glaciers, under the sea, in the desert, rainforests, islands. He has been on numerous boats, museums, tours, zip lines, cooking classes, live shows, and adventures that were not even planned.
It was on a motorbike in DaNang Vietnam, in Monkey Mountain, that Jim found his nirvana. He loved to ride up there with Sharon and his friends. They would make many stops along the way to look out over the edge and admire the beautiful city of DaNang. And Jim always said, someday I want my ashes to be here when I die. It may not be legal, but I think, somehow, that will happen and Jim will be in his
self-defined heaven for eternity.
P.S. There will be a Celebration of Jim’s life in the Salt Lake City area at the Winchester Park Pavilion. The park is located at 1250 W. Winchester (near 6600 S) in Murray, Utah. It will be outside at 3:00 – 4:00. The service will be streamed. More information will come concerning that aspect.
P.S.S. Jim was a generous man. He helped many people around the world that needed help. He has given to the Keep a Child Alive (KCA) organization for many years and is proud of that. If you wish to do something, in lieu of flowers or any other gifts, please consider giving to that organization in Jim’s honor. http://keepachildalive.org
To watch the services remotely, please follow the instructions below:
 
1. Joining by computer
a. Go to zoom.us in any internet browser
b. Click “join meeting”
c. Enter the meeting id – 8012981564
d. A box will open saying “https://zoom.us wants to open this application”. Click “open zoom”
e. Click “Join with Computer Audio”
f. Click “Mute” in the bottom left hand corner so that your audio does not interrupt the funeral services
2. Joining by phone or iPad
a. Download the Zoom app
b. Open the app and select “join a meeting”
c. Enter the meeting id – 8012981564
d. Select “join without video”
e. Select “Call using internet audio”
f. Select “mute” in the bottom left hand corner so that your audio does not interrupt the funeral services.
Service Information

Celebration of Life
March 24, 2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM
1250 West Winchester, Murray, Utah 84123