Jim Hutchinson

A life well-lived ... Jim Hutchinson was born in Albuquerque, NM on August 30, 1922. He was delivered at the Women and Children's Hospital and his was the first caesarean birth in Albuquerque. His parents, John and Lilian Hutchinson, founded Hutchinson Fruit Company. He was the apple of their eye - very appropriate for a purveyor of produce. His father called him "Lad," and wrote a poem for him: "It's honk goes the horn, for I whistle and sing, when I sit upon the old trucks, I'm happy as a king. The boys are always willing; as for me I'm never sad. There's none can live a jollier life than Jim, the fruitman's lad." The company logo, the Redhead, became the trademark for much of the company's packaged produce. On June 2, 1939, Jim graduated from Albuquerque High and joined the family business. He became dedicated to two things: customer service and the freshest quality produce to be found. He was honest and fair to both his customers and his employees, whom he treated like family. Jim loved flying and earned his private license at age 16! When war was raging over England and Europe, Jim joined the Army/Air Corp at age 18. He was called up in September of 1942. Like many young men, Jim married his high school sweetheart, Betty Klentschy, and then went off to war. During his four years of service, he flew Martin B26 Marauders, PBYs and anything else with wings. He earned both his Army Air Corp wings and his Navy wings. His next assignment was in Laoag, a base in the Philippines, were he flew PBYs for water rescues. On one rescue mission, Jim had to locate an island, where a C-47 had crashed into the ocean. Finding them, he landed his plane in fairly quiet waters and loaded the 11 survivors. With the seven crewmen, the plane was seriously overweight. The ocean rose and it took great skill to navigate through the big waves for the four-and-a-half miles it took to get airborne. The entire crew of his PBY received commendations for this effort. Jim, who had always been quietly humble, wrote to his wife describing the incident as a "fun day for him and his crew." Upon his discharge, he returned to join the family business. Jim's love of flying continued and he piloted various personal planes, including a Cessna 182, a Travelaire, a Baron, a Cessna 310, and finally a Navajo Chieftain. Now, when customers flew with Jim, they could get up and walk around on the plane! He was a great pilot, using his skills to better serve his customers, who were now located throughout the State of New Mexico, Colorado, Texas and Arizona. Hutchinson Fruit Company grew under his guidance. It served large grocery chains, APS, hospitals, mom-and-pop stores and the majority of the restaurants in Albuquerque and other New Mexico cities. Jim's mantras of "quality," "fresh is best," "The Old Reliable," "Buy New Mexico" and "Customer Service" continued. Jim Hutchinson was well-known for his generosity. He donated 40,000 pounds of lettuce to the local Heart Fund by letting the customers decide what they would pay and then donating that as well as the price of the lettuce and transportation to the Heart Fund. This became a yearly effort. Each year, the annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner, held by the Brothers of the Good Shepherds and Hutchinson Fruit Company, quietly delivered all of the cabbage at no charge. Not a day went by without a charity being given a helping hand with anonymity being the only payment required. Jim strongly believed in giving back to the community. He was a member of EAGA, Rotary, and Optimists and many other local business organizations. He supported UNM and the Lobos, the Boy Scouts, the Boys and Girls Ranch, and many, many others. When Jim's pilot tag was pulled due to high blood pressure, boating became his new passion. The Sueno was his first boat and he took the family to every lake in the west, always forgetting to put in the plugs as he was launching it. The business grew and prospered and Jim decided it was time to semi-retire. He and Betty moved to Coronado, CA, where they lived right on the water. They acquired a large fishing and cruising boat, named the BET-T, and enjoyed life. They became very active members of the Coronado Cays Yacht Club and soon purchased a new boat, the BET-T-TOO and practiced "catch and release" marlin and tuna fishing. Jim bought Betty a 19-foot electric boat to cruise the canals of Coronado. Many good times were shared at cocktail hour on the R&R. Next, Jim and his daughter, Linda, purchased a 29-foot J-29 sailboat named the RJ. Jim and Linda and their crew raced in the local regattas, winning most of them. A friend fell on hard times and had to sell his boat, so Jim bought it and the family said, "When one Bet-T-Too won't do, get two!" and the Bet-T-Ann came to live with us. Jim shared his life with his family and friends. Life was good. His parents, John and Lilian Hutchinson, his grandsons, Kenneth Major Simms, and Jason Hutchinson preceded Jim Hutchinson in death. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Betty Hutchinson; his children, John Robert Hutchinson and Linda Hutchinson Cronk, and her spouse, Robert W. Cronk, and his grandchildren, Charmianne Cronk, Doyle Ravnaas, Robert W.A. Cronk, Corrine Elizabeth Hutchinson, and Joshua Hutchinson. Jim's life will be celebrated on Saturday, March 21, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1100 Indian School Road NE in Albuquerque, with Rev. Patricia Holman officiating. In lieu of flowers, please bring jars of peanut butter to donate to The Storehouse New Mexico in Albuquerque. Truly, a life well-lived! Jim Hutchinson would thank each of you for being his friend. As Jim would say, "ENJOY."