James Tervo Obituary

James ("Jim") Martin Tervo of The Sea Ranch, California, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2025 with his loving wife, Janet Burch, by his side and in kind and gentle care at Stanford Hospital. Jim fought his four year battle with cancer with the utmost bravery, determination and grace.
Jim and Janet married on August 20, 1993 in Chicago, after being introduced by a mutual friend. After their first lunch date, they were never apart. Theirs was a truly magical match; they always spoke of how very lucky they were to have met and to share 34 loving and adventurous years together. Their every year together just got better and better. There was no one finer than Jim in every way. Jim was respected and adored by everyone he encountered during his lifetime. He is now in Janet's heart forever.
Jim was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on January 3, 1947 to parents Walter Paul Tervo and Dorothy Lillian Martin Tervo. The family soon moved to Lansing, Michigan where Jim graduated from Lansing Everett High School. His days there as a star basketball player continued a life-long love of sports. Jim attended the University of Michigan for both undergraduate (graduating with the honor of Phi Beta Kappa and the James B. Angell Scholar Award) and law school.
His initial law career focused on banking and real estate, with Dickinson Wright in Detroit and Chicago. Jim took a brief sabbatical from practicing law to join the cabinet of the Detroit mayor. He served as the point person to successfully resolve the financing and development of a new stadium for the Detroit Tigers, now known as Comerica Park. He and Janet then relocated to San Francisco where he joined Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. His law focus then became international financial transactions and he and Janet spent ten outstanding years in Asia, first in Tokyo, then in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
After returning to San Francisco from Asia, Jim and Janet retired and moved to their oceanfront home at The Sea Ranch to surround themselves with spectacular nature and beauty, balancing all of their previous urban experiences. In retirement, Jim began rising early every morning to read copious pages on American history, especially biographies of past presidents by esteemed authors. He was impressed by many of the presidents' thoughts on character and felt everyone could benefit from a reflection on their advice, so he decided to write a book. Hear Ye! Hear Ye!: Wit and Wisdom of U.S. Presidents as Character Professors was published in 2023. His book was recognized by the president of Character.org who wrote: "Mr. Tervo, thank you for writing a book that shines a light on our past presidents' positive (and not-so-positive) character traits and qualities. Your book lifted my spirit during this moment in our nation's history."
Jim is survived by the love of his life, Janet; his sister, Nancy Brown; his brothers-in-law, Alex Brown and David Smith; his sisters-in-law, Kathy Smith and Cynthia Burch Harms; many other loved ones including cousins, nephews and nieces; his beloved Phi Psi "brothers" who have been enduring companions; and countless special friends around the country and the world.
Although no service is yet scheduled, there shall be a fitting celebration of Jim's magnificent life at a later date.
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