James Harold Lauth Jr.

On Saturday, May 1, 2021, James Harold Lauth, Jr., age 61, of Placerville, CA, passed away at his home. Loving husband, son, brother, and stepfather, Jim was born in Washington, D.C. to Mary and James Harold Lauth, Sr. He was the oldest of four children. He grew up in Bowie, MD, in an idyllic Levittown suburb of the 1960s and 70s playing little league, basketball, and hockey; serving as an altar boy; going to Orioles and Redskins games with his Dad; and hanging out with his many friends. He graduated from Bowie High School. He received a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and also completed an engineering co-op with the U.S. Navy. After graduation, he moved to Long Beach, CA, where he worked for Hughes Aircraft for a short time before moving to the Bay Area and working for PG&E for 17 years as a power engineer. He then worked for Silicon Valley Power as a Division Manager until his retirement in 2014. While working, he completed an MBA and a J.D. from Santa Clara University. In law school, he interned for the Innocence Project where he worked tirelessly to free a man wrongly convicted of murder who was imprisoned for twenty years. Upon retirement, Jim and his wife Tracy moved to the tranquility of Placerville where he took up acrylic and oil painting, and community service with the Masonic lodge 26 in Placerville. Jim was passionate about sports. He was a lifelong Washington Redskins and Orioles fan and loved the Nationals. He also followed his beloved Virginia Tech Hokies religiously. Before his stroke in 2003, he was an avid golfer and mountain biker and had the opportunity to play at Pebble Beach several times. His crowning achievement was being a marshal at two U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach with his father, uncle, cousin, and friend where he got to meet his hero, Jack Nicklaus. He is best remembered as an intelligent, kind person who loved to debate current events and offer solutions. He is survived by his wife Tracy of Placerville; parents Jim and Mary of Odenton, MD; siblings Jeanine of Alexandria, VA, Patty (Larry) Tate of Surfside Beach, SC; and Sharon (Gerry) Scheidhauer of Celebration, FL; six nieces and nephews: Allie, Max, Gar, Brooke, Jack, and Nicholas; and stepchildren Brett and Jessica. He also leaves behind a host of loving uncles, aunts, and cousins and his loyal service dog Sophia and his puppy Cooper. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Shriners Children's Hospital, Sacramento.