Jim Erlinger, a stalwart of the Navy League St Louis, died June 7, 2021 at age 86.
Notwithstanding Jim's military time was spent in the Army, for which we have forgiven him, we believe object of his true passion for the military was the Navy through the Navy League of the United States and its St Louis Council. Jim was a member of the Navy League's national board and its National Hall of Fame, a regional president and was National Commander of the Sea Cadets. Perhaps most importantly, he was a former president of the St Louis Council. And as at least one later president can tell you, his leadership did not end with his term as president.
After the Army and long employment with B-Line Systems, Jim started his own manufacturer's representative business, the Jim Erlinger Company, from which he retired.
But Jim's life really revolved around his wife, Nancy, three children (which included an attorney, but we have forgiven him for that, too} eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Jim was an inveterate joke-teller, most of whose jokes could be told in mixed company. Those that could not be thus told suffered from the fact of Jim's very soft voice, which became even softer in their telling.
The Navy League is poorer for his passing, and will miss him greatly.
