Jim (Allen James) Sather

Allen James (Jim) Sather, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, teacher, and coach, passed away peacefully at the age of 92 on Wednesday July 1, 2026.  Jim's legacy is measured not only by the years he lived but also by the countless lives he touched. Jim shared 70 years of marriage with his wife, Dianne, and created a full family life that included 4 children and 9 grandchildren,

Jim was born in Moscow, Idaho in 1933 to Allen Bennett and Laura Alice Wegner Sather.  He and his two siblings grew up on their family farm in Genesee, Idaho, and Jim excelled in academics and sports.  He was valedictorian of his high school and was a key member of his high school basketball team.  His senior year they won the state championship, and Jim was selected to the First Team All Tournament team.  When the team returned to Genesee, the entire town turned out in force to greet them with a celebration.

Jim attended the University of Idaho as an Agriculture major, and he played on the basketball team.  Their team was successful and Jim got to play against some of the best.  He was awarded the Jay Gano award for Leadership, and the Most Inspirational Player by a vote of his teammates, and he really enjoyed playing all four years as an Idaho Vandal.  Jim graduated from Idaho in 1955 with a BS in Agriculture.  He was also commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army through the ROTC program. 

Jim married Dianne Marie Druffel in October of 1955.  They initially lived in Virginia where Jim was on active duty at Fort Eustis.  In 1956 his company began training for the supplying of the radar stations along the northern coast of North America by the Arctic Ocean.  After being honorably discharged from the army, they lived in Kamiah, Idaho, where Jim was a science teacher and coach for several years.  They then moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon where Jim spent many years as a beloved teacher and coach at both Lake Oswego High School and Lakeridge High School.  Over his 34 year career he impacted countless students and athletes.  He taught Chemistry and Chem Study, and coached the Lakeridge Science Team to seven straight state titles and subsequent participation in the national Science Olympics competitions.  He was proud of his basketball teams’ overall winning percentage of 74.6%.  He also relished helping students and athletes mature, gain knowledge, and become good citizens.  He retired in 1992.  As an advocate of education, Jim earned two masters degrees over the years while teaching - a Master of Education, and a Master in Natural Science, and he attended the Chem Study Institute at the University of California at Berkeley.  During retirement, Jim and Dianne enjoyed traveling in their RV, playing bridge, and spending time with their friends, children and grandchildren. They moved to Mary’s Woods in 2017.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents, sister Marilyn, and brother Gary.  He is survived by his wife Dianne, his four children Sharon Rhoads (John), Jane Jones, Jim Sather (Molly), Susan Larrance (Tim), and nine grandchildren Tim, Mike, Emily, Samantha (Matthew), Jacob, Rachel (Spencer), Will, Carter and Colby. 

A memorial service will be held at the Mary’s Woods Chapel on Friday July 31, 2026 at 1:00pm. 

Arrangements by

Riverview Abbey

319 S Taylors Ferry Rd.

Portland, OR 97219

(503) 244-7577

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Jim (Allen James) Sather, please visit our floral store.