James E. Angvall, 62, Had Passion For Planes -- Boeing Retiree Often Urged His Children To `Look Up!'

The first word James E. Angvall uttered as a toddler was "pane" for airplane. According to a family story, whenever he saw a jet thundering overhead, his blue eyes would follow it across the sky until it disappeared somewhere into the cotton clouds.

He was enthralled with airplanes from childhood on - a passion that carried on through a long aviation career at Boeing.

Mr. Angvall died May 2 after battling cancer for three years. He was 62.

Born and raised in Bemidji, Minn., he graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Minnesota, where he also became squadron leader in the ROTC program.

Mr. Angvall then flew as an officer with the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War era.

While in college, he met his future wife, Betty. They got married in 1960 after a courtship that revolved around airplanes.

On their first date, he took her to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where they gazed out the airport restaurant window and watched dozens of landings and takeoffs.

"That was his idea of an exciting night," said Betty Angvall of Kenmore, a retired executive with US West Communications.

On another date, she remembered, her husband took her out to a field one night and named the constellations.

"He was unique from the moment I met him," she said. "I fell madly in love with him."

Six years after they married, Boeing lured Mr. Angvall to the Seattle area, where he worked for the company to deliver planes across the world to such notable people as the king of Thailand.

After delaying it several times, Mr. Angvall finally retired from Boeing a year ago.

His sons, Mitchell, who preceded him in death, and Bryon, both followed in their father's footsteps and worked for Boeing.

"A love of the machine is what really drove him," said Bryon Angvall of Kenmore. "He was always analyzing planes. He talked about different types. It was always, `Look up!' "

When Mr. Angvall wasn't flying planes, he was reading about them or building them.

Just before his death, he built a model plane that his family intends to fly during a private memorial service in June.

In his free time, Mr. Angvall enjoyed boating around the San Juan Islands. He also loved reading, said his daughter, Jackie Schmidt of Issaquah.

"He was always someone you wanted on your team if you were playing Trivial Pursuit," Schmidt said. "He knew so much, about geography, geology and history."

Mr. Angvall was a simple, quiet man, prone to giving hugs and cooking exquisite meals with seafood and pastas, his family said.

He combined his love for boating with his joy of spending time with family by vacationing on the family's sailboat.

When Mr. Angvall learned of his cancer, he told his doctor he had done all the things he had wanted to do. His biggest accomplishment in his life, his family said, was helping to raise a family.

His attitude in life was, "Live like you want to live. Do the stuff you want to do," said Betty Angvall. "He had no regrets."

In addition to his wife, son, and daughter, Mr. Angvall is survived by three grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to a charitable organization assisting needy cancer patients.

Putsata Reang's phone message number is 206-515-5629. Her e-mail address is: prea-new@seatimes.com