James A. 'Jim' Colliander, 88

James A. "Jim" Colliander, 88, died Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007, in Sandpoint, Idaho.Private graveside services with military honors will be held 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at Pinecrest Cemetery with the Rev. Steve Neuder officiating.Jim was born Aug. 18, 1918, in Providence, R.I., to Erland A. and Emma S. Osterlund Colliander. He grew up in Warwick, R.I., with his sister, Edna.Jim left during the Depression in the 1930s to work at the shipyards in Providence. He learned to be a welder and pipe fitter, a trade he used throughout his life.Jim married the love of his life, Martha Ruth Ray, on Jan. 26, 1940, in Providence. They were lifelong partners.Jim was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and served in France and Germany, working on the railroads. After the war, he ran welding businesses in Rhode Island and Connecticut. In the 1960s, he worked as a pipe fitter on nuclear submarines for Electric Boat Co. in Groton, Conn. The family also operated a dairy farm.In the late '60s, Jim and Ruth owned a moving van and traveled across the United States. They discovered Sandpoint and moved here in 1968.Jim went to work for the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Union Local No. 44 in Spokane, Wash. He worked on dams in the Northwest including Dworshak, Grand Coulee and the Lower Granite dams, as well as large buildings and factories.He retired in 1983 and spent winters with his wife in Quartzite and Wenden, Ariz.He is survived by his daughters, Linda (Clarence) Florea and Edna (Terry) Iverson, both of Sandpoint; sons Erland (Bella) Colliander of El Paso, Texas, and Richard Colliander of Newman Lake, Wash.; seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, sister Edna Christiansen and granddaughter Jeannie Tuchon Teal.Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling arrangements. Visit Jim's online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his guest book.