Sunbury, PA - Dr. James W. (Jim) Temple of Sunbury, Pennsylvania passed away on Friday, April 24, 2026, as a result of a pernicious and obnoxious glioblastoma.

Jim was born on June 18, 1947 in Owosso, Michigan to Donald W. and Jeanne I. Temple. He grew up on a farm in rural Michigan, and realized from an early age that he wanted to be a veterinarian. He attended Michigan State University, where he once refused to let his roommate borrow his car unless the roommate found him a date. As Jim would later explain to his family, he wasn't really looking to meet anyone - he just didn't trust his roommate with his car. That single act of mistrust led to him earning a blind date with Katherine (Kathy) Braun, who would become his wife of 56 years.

In December 1971, Jim completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He accepted a job offer from the Sunbury Animal Hospital and immediately took to living in central Pennsylvania like a duck takes to water. Unfortunately, water did not take to him - no sooner had he learned to pronounce "creek" as a Pennsylvanian than Hurricane Agnes showed him why he should not live right next to one.

Undeterred, he and Kathy moved to a home on a nice safe hill at the end of 1972. In the summer of 1973, they welcomed their first child, Jeff, who asks that you not ponder too deeply on how Jim and Kathy celebrated becoming new homeowners. A second son, Andrew, was born in 1976. Together, Jim's sons inherited all of their father's natural curiosity, about half of his mechanical ability, and exactly none of his musical talent.

Jim eventually became partner and majority owner of the Sunbury Animal Hospital. In 2013, he realized a long-held dream by moving the practice to its new state-of-the-art facility along Route 890. He served the community as a veterinarian for 45 years before semi-retiring in 2017 and finally relinquishing the practice in 2025.

Jim spent his semi-retirement working as treasurer and board member for the Northumberland County Fair, and was a long-time member of the Albright and Faith United Methodist Churches. He enjoyed many hobbies, including gardening, reading histories, hunting and fishing, reading mysteries, playing guitar, reading comic collections, working on model trains, reading farming manuals, rebuilding cars, and reading anything that anyone else was foolish enough to leave unattended for more than five minutes.

Jim is survived by his wife, Kathy, his sons Jeff and Andrew, his daughter-in-law Michelle, his sister Mary, and his nieces and nephews (Sarah, Rachel, Damian, David, Laurie, Doug, and Chris). He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Diane, along with a number of beloved labrador retrievers (Millie, Jenny, Lafitte, Samantha, and Sophie).

A celebration of his life will be held later this year. In lieu of flowers, Dr. Temple asked that you take your pets for a walk and give them a nice treat at the end (the walk is optional; the treat is mandatory). Donations in his memory may be made to Faith United Methodist Church, the Sunbury Animal S.A.F.E fund, or the Northumberland County Fair.