Obituary of James William Meeks

Jim Meeks Sr. was born on December 15th, 1945 in Santa Monica, CA. He was the youngest of Ruth and Carl Meeks’ five children. The family moved to AK in 1949 where his parents, and later Jim, worked for the Alaska railroad. He later worked as a paperboy on foot downtown Anchorage and, as an assistant and group counselor for Dr. Aron Wolf, one of the leading researchers for seasonal affective depressive disorder. Jim met his wife, Linda, when they were enrolled in East Anchorage High School and had a son, Jimmy, when Jim was eighteen years old. Jim and Linda started a head shop called The Aquarian Age in Anchorage in 1969. Some of Jim’s passions as a young man were cars, motorcycles, fashion, and drawing cartoons. He’d travel to LA and buy the latest fashion trends of denim bell bottoms, tasseled leather, and bring them up to AK. When the shop burnt down, they opened New Morning Mercantile and shortly after, Jim worked for the post office as a mail man. Jim, Linda, and Jimmy moved to California 1974. They first lived in the Haight Ashbury district and then in Sunnyvale. Jim, Linda, and a friend here in Santa Cruz, went into business as successful group home parents and owners of New Morning Inc. from 1979-1993. The business lost steam and Jim became a social worker with a federal agency in Gilroy, Rebekah Children Services, and a licensed drug and alcohol counselor through SJSU. He traveled giving presentations on narcotic abuse and worked in local jails and juvenile halls. In 1995, Jim and Linda adopted their niece, Vanessa, and enrolled her in Sherwood Preschool on Soquel Ave. Loved ones would describe Jim as funny, creative, light-hearted, and a music lover, with a passion for reggae and reggae culture. But, most of all, a great dad with a special niche for working with kids. Jim is survived by two older siblings, Dianne Taylor and Richard Meeks. Jim outlived Linda by three years, passing from a heart attack in Santa Cruz on September 15th, 2023.