James “Jim” Paisley Bangs was born in Boulder, CO on December 1, 1952. He passed away at home on June 2, 2024, following a 15-month fight with cancer. He was 71 years old.
Jim was the second son of F. Kendrick and Betty Paisley Bangs. Jim attended school in Boulder graduating from Boulder High School in 1971. He was quietly proud of being elected “Best Personality” of the senior class. In his words, he “liked pretty much everyone.” Jim attended Montana State University and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He graduated with a degree in Business Finance in 1977.
While at MSU, Jim met his wife, Debby Garfield Bangs, in the first year of co-ed dormitories. They began their relationship as ski buddies. Jim and Debby were married on June 26,1976 at Soldier’s Chapel in Big Sky, MT. Jim and Debby have one son, Tyler Garfield Bangs, who was born in Bozeman in 1984. Tyler is married to Angela Chou Bangs, MD.
Following Jim’s college graduation, he and Debby started Paisley Merritt, a men’s and women’s clothing store on Main Street in Bozeman. Owning and operating a small business connected Jim and Debby to the Bozeman community where Jim cultivated a passion for service. Jim served as president of the Downtown Business Association, was a board member of the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce, and represented the organization as a Green Coat. Jim followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps as a Rotarian, and was a member of the Bozeman Noon Rotary Club where he was also its president. Jim served as moderator of Pilgrim Church during the expansion of the sanctuary. He was also a board member and president of Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter.
Jim always loved German Shepherd dogs. He acquired a rescued German Shepherd dog named Kim in 1973 who went everywhere with him. When Jim had a job delivering pizzas for Karl Marx Pizza, Kim rode along in the delivery truck. No one tried to steal the money bag while Kim was in the truck. Jim and Debby had several more German Shepherds and one or more often greeted customers at Paisley Merritt.
In 1994, Jim and Debby sold Paisley Merritt, which allowed Jim to pursue his passion as an advisor to those investing in the markets. He began his career as a financial advisor at Smith Barney in 1997. Jim later joined Stifel in 2009, where he was senior vice president and portfolio manager until his death. Jim valued the friendships he developed with co-workers and clients as much as he enjoyed financial advising and educating others about finance. He worked up until a few weeks before his passing.
Jim began to ski when he was four years old and never missed a season until 2024. He was a ski instructor at Bridger Bowl during his college years. Jim, Debby, and Tyler spent many winter weekends skiing at areas around the region. His dream-come-true ski trips were to Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Jim thought a bad day of skiing was better than most days doing anything else.
Travel was an important part of Jim’s life. A trip he took in 1971 with his cousin and grandfather to the International Rotary Convention in Sydney, Australia made a lifelong impression on Jim. The trio traveled throughout the South Pacific for several weeks. Jim’s grandfather insisted the boys cut their hair before going to make a good impression as young Americans. The boys’ grandfather admired young women in mini-skirts and looked the other way when Jim and his cousin wanted to sample a local cocktail. Jim enjoyed this special experience with his grandfather and cousin equally as much as seeing other faraway places of the world. He fondly recounted memories of this trip which helped instill a love for exploration and adventure.
In addition to ski trips in the Alps and Dolomites, Jim and Debby traveled to other places in Europe, including Russia. Sometimes they went to Europe for a long weekend. They also made a memorable trip to Kuwait and Jordan. Domestic travel was also important to Jim. He visited almost all 50 states. His favorite destination in the United States was Hawaii, where Jim and Debby visited all of the Hawaiian islands.
Jim’s outgoing and positive personality drew people to him. He had a sparkle in his eye and almost always wore a smile. He liked a long and lively conversation, especially one involving world economics and financial markets, travel destinations, or food. Jim enjoyed cooking and sampling new recipes. When he served his homemade panna cotta, people said it was the best they had ever had.
Jim was a loving and devoted husband to Debby. He supported her passion for animals and the clothing business. Jim and Debby enjoyed making decisions together about travel plans and business endeavors. Perhaps their most coordinated effort was the creation and implementation of Paisley Merritt that they owned and operated together for 14 years, traveling to clothing markets several times a year to personally select the merchandise for the upcoming season. Another joint venture Jim and Debby enjoyed was the design and construction of their home on Centennial Trail where they lived for 33 years. When Debby helped her mother operate a family ranch in eastern Montana, Jim was there to support the both of them. As her best friend, Jim helped Debby through challenging times and shared her joy in the happy moments.
Jim dearly loved his son, Tyler, and daughter-in-law, Angela, and was always interested in their lives and careers. Jim enjoyed Tyler and Angela’s frequent visits to Bozeman when he could no longer travel. Jim and Debby were both thankful for the love and support Tyler and Angela provided throughout Jim’s illness.
Tyler and Jim had a special rapport and enjoyed discussions about the markets, home remodeling, cars and travel, and most anything else either one wanted to talk about. Tyler could always count on Jim to have a workable solution to any sort of problem. Angela and Jim enjoyed conversations with friendly banter on a variety of topics, and Jim was always supportive of Angela’s move into healthcare as a second career. Angela’s help to navigate Jim’s health concerns over the past year was invaluable.
Jim is survived by his wife, Debby, son and daughter-in law, Tyler and Angela, his cousin, Nancy Johnson, and husband, Brian, of Boulder, CO, brother John, niece Amy and her family of Columbia, MO, niece Ashley and her family of Lafayette, IN, and his special care giver, Toni Bernier.
A Memorial Service for Jim will be held at 10:00 AM on July 16, 2024 at Pilgrim Congregational Church, Bozeman. A reception in the church will follow.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution in Jim’s memory to be made to:
Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter; Noon Rotary Club of Bozeman; or Bozeman Health Foundation, Cancer Center.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]
