James Hoss

James Richard Hoss, 76, died unexpectedly at his home in Fargo on Friday, November 6, 2020. Jim was born on April 17, 1944, in Fargo, ND, the second of Frank and Marian (Gretter) Hoss’s six children. In 1962 he graduated from St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Bismarck, where he played football, and attended MSU Moorhead, graduating in 1967 with a degree in psychology. While working at St. Luke’s Hospital in Fargo, he met nursing student Kathy Dolan. They were married on June 18, 1966, in Bismarck; during their 53 years together they raised four daughters. Professionally Jim was administrator of several California hospitals, spending most of his career as CEO of Mountains Community Hospital in Mt. Shasta. He served as chair of the California Hospital Association in 1988 and chairman of the board of the Hospital Council of Northern & Central California in 1993. Jim was also active in Rotary Club International and served on the school board of Mount Shasta Union School District. In 2009 Jim retired as CEO of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and Jim and Kathy returned to Fargo. To his hunting and fishing comrades, Jim was “Stoney.” This motley crew of friends, sons, and nephews traveled the world (and the Upper Midwest) in pursuit of ducks, geese, pheasant, salmon, swordfish, and trout, but what they returned with was a lot of laundry and an endless supply of stories. (Ask one of them about the prop plane in Alaska sometime…) Since moving back to Fargo, Jim had become an avid Bison football fan with a green-and-gold t-shirt and ball cap for nearly any occasion. Everyone who knew Jim knew his passion for wine; he was happiest sitting around a table sharing a meal and a bottle (or several) of red wine with friends and family. Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Kathy (in 2019), his brother, Dave, and his parents. He is survived by his daughters, Sue Hoss (John Meyer) of Des Moines, IA; Amy Hoss (Curtis Knight) of Mt. Shasta, CA; Beth Hoss Hagler (David Hagler) of Atlanta, GA; and JoEllyn Hoss of Fargo, as well as three granddaughters, Taylor Proctor (Marshall Fairbanks) of Atlanta; and Greta and Isabel Knight of Mt. Shasta. He also leaves behind siblings Bill Hoss (NE), Tony Hoss (WA), Chris Hoss (TX), and Dorothy (Duff) Hnatiuk (TX), and stepbrother Hubert Elwein (WA), as well as dear friends Ron, Bill, Jeff, and Brian. And he was so grateful to have had the chance to reconnect with cousins Jeff, Bob, Ryan, Diane, Bernie, and Jean while living in Fargo. A celebration of life is being planned for a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to The Chromosome 18 Registry & Research Society (chromosome18.org) in San Antonio, TX, CalTrout (caltrout.org), and Ducks Unlimited (ducks.org).