James E. Carey, 71, of Sahuarita, Arizona, passed away on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson, Arizona. He was born April 23, 1947 to Donald A. Carey and Irene (Hojnacki) Carey in Syracuse, New York.

Jim was a devoted and loving husband and a terrific father and grandfather to his two sons and three grandsons. He was always up for an adventure and had a passion for traveling by any conveyance including cars, planes, recreational vehicles or cruise ships. He planned each trip thoroughly so no time would be "wasted" on just relaxing.

Jim served in the Army in 1966 – 1968. He fought in Vietnam from October, 1967 until September, 1968 first in the 198th Light Infantry Brigade and then in the 1/1st Cavalry Regiment, Americal Division. Jim received his first Army Commendation Medal for Heroism, a second Army Commendation Medal, First Oak Leaf Cluster, for Meritorious Service, and a Purple Heart, for Wounds Received in Action. He was a member of the 1/1st Cavalry Association, Americal Division Veterans Association, American Legion Post 66 in Green Valley, Arizona and a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans.

Jim was a skilled technician and worked in the material handling industry for 48 years. He worked in Syracuse, New York until January, 1975 when he transferred to Memphis, Tennessee for a Service Manager position. Both of these jobs were at Raymond Corporation factory service facilities. In 1981 he moved to Tucson, Arizona and after brief employment with an independent dealer went to work for Naumann Hobbs Material Handling, where he stayed from March, 1982 until his retirement in January, 2015. While at Naumann Hobbs he held positions both as a Field Service Technician and Service Manager.

Surviving him are his wife of 49 years, Gail (Butts) Carey, their son, Christian C. Carey, daughter-in-law, Christy (Brenner) Carey, and two grandsons, Cameron J. Carey and Colin A. Carey; their second son, Garrick W. Carey, daughter-in-law, Talia (Martin) Carey, and grandson, Charlie M. Carey. He is also survived by one brother, Richard J. Carey, and three nieces, Stacy, Michelle, and Stephanie Carey. Predeceased are his parents, Donald and Irene Carey, and one brother, John S. Carey.

A service celebrating Jim's life will be held at Desert Hills Lutheran Church, 2150 S. Camino del Sol, Green Valley, AZ on July 25, 2018 at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim's name to either the Disabled American Veterans, PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301, or the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, 3003 S. County Club Road, Tucson, AZ 85713.

Jim's cremains will be interred at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego, California at a later date.

Arrangements were made by Green Valley Mortuary & Cemetery, 18751 S. La Canada Drive, Sahuarita, Arizona 85629.