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James Howard Fauth, 76, formerly of Lewistown, PA, passed away at his home in Southern California on Aug. 25, following an extended illness. He is survived by his devoted wife Beth (Kreamer); his stepson Jason Fosselman, whom he was proud to help raise from childhood and fiercely loved as his own; his beautiful daughter-in-law Terra (Manthey) and granddaughters Piper and Parker, whom we adored. He was preceded in death by his parents Howard E. and Sara Jane (Breininger) Fauth. Jim was a graduate of Lewistown HS and earned his BS and Master's Degrees in Biology Education from Bloomsburg University, where he played on the tennis team and lettered all four years. He also proudly served for six years in the US Navy, where he received extensive training in electronics. It was when he was stationed in San Diego that he dreamed of retiring to SoCal. Another major accomplishment of Jim's was earning his ASNT Level III in ultrasonics and other forms of nondestructive testing (NDT). Most of his career was spent as an instructor, and then the manager of schools, at Krautkramer-Branson/GE in Lewistown. During that time, he traveled around the country teaching NDT techniques for industrial applications at such prestigious institutions as NASA, Los Alamos Labs, and the major airlines. Regarded as an outstanding educator in the field, Jim ended his career with two of the premier leaders in the NDT industry - Hellier in Niantic, CT, where he was a traveling instructor; and Mistras in Princeton Junction, NJ, where, because he could no longer travel extensively after surviving an aortic dissection in 2008, he designed online courses in ultrasonics. Jim was an active member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Lewistown, before moving to SoCal eleven years ago. He served on Church Council and in many different capacities with BSA Troop 2, which the church sponsored. Jim was devoted to instilling the Scout values in troop members, and when he was Scoutmaster, he was pleased to help facilitate several boys in the troop earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Jim was talented in many areas and had varied interests. He was a nature lover who enjoyed hiking, hunting responsibly, camping, and photographing God's creation. He was an avid reader, crossword puzzle solver, and, before his health problems, tennis player. He especially enjoyed spending time with his family-traveling, playing sports and other games of skill, listening to music, watching films of different genres, and rooting for his favorite sports teams, particularly the Dodgers and Phillies in baseball and Penn State in football. He was a wonderful storyteller, who had a great sense of humor, and he will be dearly missed by his family and friends. There will be a celebration of life for Jim at Hope Lutheran Church in Palm Desert, CA at 11:00 am on Saturday, Sept. 6. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jim's name to Seven Mountains Scout Camp in Centre County, PA, or to the Bloomsburg University Tennis Team in Bloomsburg, PA.

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James Howard Fauth

July 30, 1949 - August 25, 2025