James Emerson Cain passed away peacefully on Monday, June 26, 2023, at Priddy Manor Assisted Living in King, North Carolina.
Jim is survived by Shirley, his wife of 66 years; daughters Nancy (Jean-Pierre) Helsly of Pontivy, France; Mary Reynolds of Atlanta, Georgia; Julie (Ronnie) Hill of Pilot Mountain, North Carolina; five grandchildren: Steven Helsly, James Helsly (Fanny Le Pimpec), Kristen Reynolds, Erin (Brandon) Grant, Brian (Katie) Hill; six great-grandchildren: Connor Claxton, Rylee Grant, Axel Helsly, Harper Grant, Cooper Grant, and Zoé Helsly; brothers- and sister-in-law Mark (Mary) Kindseth and Bruce Kindseth; and many nieces, nephews and other family members.
Jim was born on March 16, 1933, in Faribault, Minnesota, to Mabel (Emerson) Cain and Clarence Cain and raised in West Concord. He was baptized and confirmed at Hegre Lutheran Church in Kenyon, Minnesota. After graduating from West Concord High School in 1951, he attended Mesa College in Grand Junction, Colorado. From 1953 to 1955, he served in the United States Army.
Jim married the love of his life, Shirley Kindseth, at Hegre Lutheran Church on August 18, 1956. They first made their home in Menomonie, Wisconsin, while he was attending Stout State College, and welcomed the first of their three daughters there.
Jim graduated from Stout in 1959 with a degree in Instructional Technology and began his career at AC Spark Plug Division of General Motors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his field engineering work spanning such projects as the Thor Missile guidance system, the B-52 Bomber bombing/navigational system, and automobile and aircraft radio-telephone systems. A 1962 General Motors corporate transfer with some developmental automobile and aircraft projects moved the family to GM’s Delco Radio Division in Kokomo, Indiana.
During this time, Jim began working with Delco’s public relations function, a move that would have long-lasting career benefits. In 1964 Jim joined IBM in Rochester, Minnesota, where he spent 10 years in communications. He remained with IBM working in communications for the remainder of his career, later becoming editor of the company’s magazine Viewpoint. In 1974 the family moved to the Atlanta area when Jim relocated to the new IBM divisional headquarters there.
After his retirement from IBM, Jim started his own writing, public relations, and advertising business in 1989. He had many interests over the years, beginning with ham radio, hunting and trapshooting, then photography, antique automobiles, wine, and woodcarving.
He was always a perfectionist and totally invested in everything he did, making sure he had the right tools and collecting books on each subject. Occasionally he combined his interest in fine craftsmanship with his writing skills, contributing articles to national magazines on subjects such as custom-engraved guns or Pierce-Arrow antique cars. He held positions in various clubs over the years and was president of the southeastern region of the Antique Automobile Club of America in 1996.
