<p>James Dunning Jr.</p>

James Charles Dunning Jr., 63, of Battleground, Wash., died July 28, 2011, with family members by his side.

He was born in Streator, Ill., to Anna Amelia (Waldon) Dunning and James Charles Dunning Sr.

He was raised by his mother, Anna, along with three sisters and one brother, growing up in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School.

In March 1965 Jim joined the U.S. Navy and served until March 1969. While in the Navy Jim was an ECM operator during the Vietnam War. He served on 13 different aircraft carriers and survived the fire aboard the USS Forestall in 1967.

On March 23, 1969, he married Donna Carol Beach in Oakland, Calif. They divorced in 2007. They had four children: Joe, Jim, Jeremy, and Carolyn.

Jim was a jack-of-all-trades, teaching all four of his children everything he knew.

He is survived by Donna Dunning; his children, Joe Dunning of Battleground, Wash., Jim and Colyn Niemeyer of Waverly, Neb., Jeremy and Wendy Dunning of Kalama, Wash., and Carolyn and Justin Doherty of Joseph; seven grandchildren; and three sisters, Charlotte, Sherry, and Candice, all of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Jim was preceded in death by both of his parents and his brother, William.

He was a member of the VFW in Council Bluffs, Iowa.