James (Jim) Edward Darling passed away on Saturday, February 10th, 2024, in the loving care of his family at his home in Montana City, Montana. His passing followed an unexpected diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and God ended his suffering after a mercifully brief battle with the disease. Jim was born on June 3, 1950, in Yreka, California, to Rosalie and George Darling. He earned a bachelor's degree in Zoology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1972, where he also exercised his lanky athleticism on the tennis team. In pursuit of his master's degree in Zoology, he braved the epic inversions of Missoula's industrial age and graduated from University of Montana in 1977. From there, he returned to California, where he worked in environmental consulting in Sacramento, which is where he met his beloved opposite and future wife, Andy. In 1980, Montana beckoned the newlyweds back to its mountains and rich community, and they landed in Polson, where their first two daughters, Katie and Kimmie were born. They eventually moved to Billings, where their youngest daughter, Amy, was born. At the Billings branch of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Jim was a well-respected manager of fish and people, and his level-headedness, attention to detail, and empathy and care for his colleagues left a lasting impression on the department. Jim and Andy instilled in their daughters a love for the outdoors and all the adventures Montana's state parks and small towns had to offer — from leading the girls along boardwalks in Yellowstone to demonstrating proper tube sitting technique while floating the Stillwater River to teaching them how to put a worm on a fishing hook (just kidding, Jim always did it for them). He attended multiple lifetimes' worth of Nutcracker performances and musical recitals, always nodding along with encouraging smiles and inevitably ending up holding all of the coats. Jim spoiled his family with "Special Breakfast" every Saturday morning, was an expert car-packer for family road trips, and never left home without a "mini-micro-multi-tool" in his pocket, just in case someone needed a pair of pliers on a moment's notice. He taught his daughters to be, in all things, considerate, industrious, and grammatically correct, and his meticulously hilarious writing style makes writing this obituary very intimidating without his steady editing hand. Jim was a faithful servant of God throughout his life, and his eventual role on the church council for Narrate Church in Helena was a great point of pride and meaning for him. Through all these acts of service and more, Jim demonstrated his deep and abiding love for his family each and every day of his life, and his wise counsel and dry humor will continue to enrich the lives of his family and friends, despite our missing him dearly. Jim was preceded in death by his sister, Jan Darling; mother and father, Rosalie and George Darling; and mother- and father-in-law, Marie and William Purmort. Survivors include Jim's wife, Andy Darling; daughter and son-in-law, Katie and Chris Lund; daughter, Kimberly Collins; daughter and son-in-law, Amy Darling and Cove Jasmin; grandchildren, Caden, Grayson, Lennon, Benjamin, Louisa, and Noelle; brother- and sister-in-law, Marty and Karyn Purmort; brother- and sister-in-law, Paul and Lorraine Purmort; and numerous nieces, nephews, and dear friends. On Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., there will be a memorial service celebrating Jim's life at the Myrna Loy in Helena, Montana (15 N Ewing St, Helena, MT 59601). All are invited to join the service and the reception to follow in the lobby of the Myrna Loy. If you would like to contribute to a cause close to Jim's heart, we invite you to donate to Montana Land Reliance (www.mtlandreliance.org) or Narrate Church (www.narratechurch.org).