BLAINE, Wash. – Former Port of Bellingham commissioner and longtime teacher in the Blaine School District Jim Jorgensen has passed away.

He was born in Spokane and studied education at Western Washington State College, which became WWU, where he met his wife, Patricia.

They moved to Blaine for Jim’s first teaching job in 1963, and he spent more than 30 years in the Blaine School District.

He was very active in the civic life of Blaine, and was elected to the Port of Bellingham Commission in 2004.

The Port credits Jorgensen with helping to navigate the acquisition of the Georgia Pacific property on Bellingham’s waterfront and many other important projects.

He retired from the commission in 2015.

Jorgensen died on June 8th at age 83.

A celebration of his life is planned on September 9th at the Blaine Senior Center.