James D. Eaton, age 94, a resident of Wheaton, IL passed away March 23, 2021 at sunrise. He was born October 13, 1926 in Indianapolis, IN to Durward and Lelah (Lucille) Eaton.

At the age of five James' family moved to Battle Creek, MI where his father taught physics at Battle Creek college. During the depression James sold newspapers and when his father painted houses in the summer for extra money James helped his father by painting the garages. In 1936 the college closed and they painted a lot of houses and garages in 1937 and 1938.

In 1938 James' father got a position with Northern Illinois University so the family moved to DeKalb, IL.
They joined the Methodist church and James joined Boy Scout Troop 4, the same troop his son Doug and grandson Matthew would join years later. James took two years of mechanical drafting in high school, and when World War II started they were short of draftsmen so they came to DeKalb High School to look for draftsmen and he was selected. He went to school in the mornings and worked in the Wurlitzer Building drafting during afternoons and Saturdays. Wurlitzer made the wings and tail assembly of the TDR-1 pilotless radio-controlled plywood bomber for the Navy.

After being in a post-high school Army program to study mechanical engineering, Jim served in the Army. He was dispatched to Oceanside, California to work with a Signal Core Company. He joined the 286th JASCO (Joint Assault Signal Company) and they drilled on beach landings to set up communication equipment. After many such drills, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945, saving him and his crew a trip across the ocean.

Following his honorable discharge, he went to school at Northern Illinois University where he met his future wife Carol in his father's chemistry class in 1947. He later went on to get a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana in 1950, graduating with Honors, andwas also inducted into Phi Tau Sigma, the Engineering Honors Society.

James and Carol got married on December 23, 1950 in a church in Elmwood Park.

James got a tip for an engineering job opening from Carol's uncle. He was hired and worked as an engineer and ultimately as Director of Research and Engineering at the Belden wire company for forty years. He traveled widely for his job, the most memorable being a trip to Alaska to observe the search for copper veins in the mountains. He was appointed to the International Standards Committee for Magnet Wire as the U.S. representative in 1974.

James traveled for leisure to places that included Europe, the Caribbean, and Hawaii. James also had many hobbies. He taught his two sons how to sail; he built a dark room and developed his own pictures; and he was a master woodworker, building 92 different pieces of furniture for family and friends during his retirement. In his retirement, he and his wife Carol also enjoyed spending their winters in Arizona for 15 years, where James loved to golf.

James loved his wife and entire family, always providing for them with all his heart. He is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Carol; his children Gail (Andrew) Robinson, Scott (Bonnie) Eaton & Doug (Karen) Eaton; his grandchildren Cara (Grant) Hiebert, Ian (Lucy) Robinson, and Matthew & Claire Eaton; his great-grandchildren Owen & Nora Hiebert and Isaac, Wyatt & Emerson Robinson. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by his siblings Marjorie Eaton, Robert (the late Martha) Eaton, Alice Eaton & Mary Jane (the late Willard) McGaff.

Relatives and friends may visit with the family on Saturday, June 26, 2021, at the Lake Ellyn Boathouse, 645 Lenox Road, Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137 , from 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. **Please contact Gail Robinson at robinson.gail.44@gmail.com if you would like to attend the memorial gathering.**

Memorial gifts may be directed to the American Cancer Society at https://www.cancer.org/involved/donate.html

Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.