James Ball Obituary

JAMES J. BALL, MD Born in 1931 in Flint Michigan, Jim led an extraordinary life full of adventures, hijinks, and joy. As a boy, Jim moved frequently and (by his account) would have graduated from his Panamanian high school, except for the obstacle of health class. After completing medical school, he was drafted into the Army who moved his fledgling family to a series of bases, one of which was Tripler Medical Center. The territory of Hawaii captivated him, and the Balls established roots in Kailua. Jim believed his life would be optimized "by reinventing himself every 7 years". He practiced in the 60s at Straub, in the 70s at Queen's and the 80s at Kapiolani; as both an internist and head of nuclear medicine. In the 1990's, Jim and the love of his life Georgia, relocated to the Pacific Northwest where they established a diabetes education practice. During this 7-year phase, they began to travel the world in earnest, eventually spending months each year abroad - especially in Japan. Jim and Georgia moved home to Hawaii in 2019. He died peacefully with Georgia by his side September 14th at age 94. Jim had five daughters, Jane Service, Mary Ball (deceased), Susan Larson, Barbara Pendleton and Lisa Gonsalves. He also had ten grandkids and nine great-grandkids who brought him unimaginable joy and vice-versa. Services private, but Jim would have liked everyone to reach out to a loved one and make them laugh.