Albert Schweitzer said, “The full measure of a man is not to be found in the man himself, but in the colors and textures that come alive because of him.” Jim Quesenberry who passed away July 15, 2024, was just such a man and proof of it shows in the messages his wife, Linda has received from former students of Jim’s.
Many of us in the coastal communities of Los Osos, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo and more can attest to the influence Jim had on us. His involvement in community outreach and helping those in need speaks for itself.
Jim was the fourth of eight children in the Navy family of Mawyer and Isabella Quesenberry and was born in Charleston, South Carolina. At the age of two, the family moved to a neighborhood in West Los Angeles, California where Jim grew up playing sports, and attending schools, such as Loyola High School, Santa Monica Junior College, and eventually obtaining his degree in English and History from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
He began teaching in Los Angeles and added Spanish to his language skills which gave him the opportunity to teach English as a Second Language. Jim also coached the sports of wrestling and football and in the process taught his team members a lot about good values. In everything he taught he worked hard to help his students achieve their highest goals.
In 1988 he and his wife and two daughters relocated to Los Osos, and he began teaching at Morro Bay High School. In the 25 years he taught there, he was active in all aspects of the school and thrived on interaction with his students. Many have sent messages of remembrance stating he was their favorite teacher and coach.
Jim was an active member of the California Teachers Association and upon retirement from teaching he was elected to the San Luis Coastal Unified School District Board as a member, serving for eight years.
In 2003, he married Linda and together they shared passion for their community and people in need. He often helped Linda with the mutual aid organization, Los Osos Cares.
Jim was an active member of the Los Osos Rotary Club, serving on the board and with a two-term presidency. In Rotary his passion was to help with the funding of scholarships for high school students. He served as a board member of People Helping People and as Director of their food distribution site. In 2020 Jim was chosen as Los Osos Citizen of the year by the Los Osos Chamber of Commerce.
Family values were important to Jim, and he was close to every member of his family including his seven siblings and eighty-two first cousins, and he was able to name every one of them. He was active in his daughters’ young lives supporting them from raising bunnies to coaching their softball team. He supported his daughters in all their chosen goals. When he married Linda, he became stepfather to two young adult sons and coached one of them in wrestling. They respected him and they gained a wonderful father. Jim adored his four grandchildren and enjoyed adventures with them, always teaching and sharing stories as they hiked, kayaked, and played games. He loved nature and could tell anyone interesting facts about the birds and wildlife of the Central Coast.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Mawyer and Isabella, his brother Joe Quesenberry, and stepson, David Villanueva.
He is survived by his wife Linda, daughters Rebecca Jules (Christopher), Sarah Downing (Clay), Stepson Effren Villanueva (Axelle), grandchildren Christian, Jules, Effren Villanueva, Jr., Isaac Villanueva, and Martina Villanueva. He is also survived by his sisters Kathleen Leong, Maura Arechiga (Manual), Margaret Murphy (Larry), Leah Greer (Lindell), and brothers Steve Quesenberry (Maruka Furtado), Robert Quesenberry (Todd McNeal).
A celebration of his life will be held on Sunday, September 15, 2024, from 2:00 to 6:00 P.M. at the South Bay Community Center, 2180 Palisades Avenue, Los Osos, California. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Los Osos Rotary Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 6670, Los Osos, CA 93412.
