James Henry Gogolin

March 5 1943 - February 7, 2017

Jim Gogolin was a quiet man, loving husband and father, and a patriot who loved his country and served the Navy for nearly 28 years. Born in the tiny town of Harrold South Dakota on March 5 1943, Jim lived his earliest years in Blunt SD, before moving to Rapid City, SD for high school and a year at the School of Mines and Technology. He enlisted in the Navy in the Fall of 1963 and studied to become a nuclear reactor operator and served in that function on the USS Bainbridge off the coast of Viet Nam. Selected for the prestigious Navy NESEP program (Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program) he attend college at North Carolina State, received a commission as an officer and graduated with a degree in Nuclear Engineering. After more time spent at sea flying the Navy's new S3 anti-submarine plane (he helped write the training document on that plane before it ever reached the fleet!) he returned to school – this time at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton Ohio. He graduated with a Master's Degree in Nuclear Engineering. Jim spent more time at sea, this time as the weapons officer on the USS Midway. Jim also served in Albuquerque, New Mexico doing underground nuclear testing in Nevada. He retired in 1991 with the rank of Commander. Jim's retirement year were spent near Keystone, SD where he was the chef and chief administrator for the Anchorage B&B. He spent those 25 years of retirement nurturing his love of Barbershop music and supporting his local Lutheran Church. Jim began to winter in Rainbow four years ago.

Jim married Lin Winterstein in 1966 while stationed at Bainbridge Naval Station in Maryland. They had two sons – Tim Gogolin, currently a senior computer programmer for Adobe in Minneapolis but formerly an officer in the US Navy, and Mike Gogolin, currently a civilian employee at the Pentagon and also U. Col. USMC retired. He leaves three grandchildren -- Amanda, Alex, and Andrew and many friends and family members, including Bridge players and his beloved Barbershop chorus in Rapid City.

After an initial prostate cancer diagnosis, Jim visited multiple hospitals in the last four years but died of cancer that was last diagnosed as "cancer of unknown origin." As of Tuesday, February 7th, Jim has resided in heaven with his Savior who forgives all and paid the price.