James “Jim” Otto Daubenberger Jr.
3/2/1924 – 4/13/2026

James “Jim” Otto Daubenberger Jr., age 102, passed away at Victoria Place in Port Townsend on April 13, 2026. His century of life was filled with service, community, friends, and love of family. Jim was born on March 2, 1924, to Master Sergeant James “Daubie” Daubenberger Sr. and Mary (Sofie) Daubenberger in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Shortly after his father retired from the Army in 1929, the family returned to Port Townsend where his parents had met. Jim graduated from PTHS in 1942 and, with WWII in full swing, he joined the Navy and served on Subchaser 1042 in the South Pacific Theatre after escorting a convoy there from the Panama Canal.

At the end of the war, he mustered out in San Francisco and returned home to marry his childhood sweetheart, Donna Jean Verrier, on June 13, 1945. In the beginning of 1947, they purchased the Hill Top Tavern from Donna’s father, Cleve Verrier. At that time, the tavern was located at one end of Verrier’s Grocery (now the Habitat for Humanity Building) and in 1953, Jim purchased land and built the current Hilltop Tavern.

Jim and Donna purchased a men’s clothing business in 1955 and named it “Daubies” after Jim’s father’s nickname in the army. Daubies grew to include women’s clothing and moved to the Mount Baker Block Building where the business thrived until the couple’s retirement in 1983.

Jim and his best friend, Glenn Abraham, dreamed of getting into sailing. They had coffee together twice a day and poured over the classifieds, finally locating and buying a couple of small sloops. Those vessels became the gateway to many sailing adventures for both men, their families, and for the hundreds of youngsters that they instructed and infected with their passion for sailing. Soon after acquiring their boats, they joined the local yacht club and in 1960 they convinced the membership to sponsor a sailing program. Two 10’ Sea Scouter sailing dinghies were funded by the Kiwanis Club and the program purchased two more boats a year later. The two friends volunteered their time to teach sailing classes for nearly 20 years.

Jim and Glenn’s sailing dreams soon outgrew their humble first boats and in 1963, along with another friend, they ordered three 26’ Thunderbird sailboats. During the next six years, they traveled north in the summer months with their families, through the San Juan and Gulf Islands. In 1969, they moved up again into larger vessels and even greater adventures, including a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. In 2014 Jim was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the NWMC.

Jim and Donna’s love of travel took them on road trips behind the wheel of a VW bus and later a motorhome to Mexico, as well as on family trips with their children to Europe, Hawaii, and four ocean crossings.

Jim spent decades volunteering with Habitat for Humanity working alongside the crew, while Donna made lunches for the team. Jim continued to volunteer at the Habitat Store moving furniture until he turned 90.

He spent over two decades serving as a volunteer firefighter, and was a lifetime member of the Port Townsend Elks Lodge #317, and a member of the local Kiwanis.

Jim is survived by his four children, James (Mary Missig) Daubenberger, Jana (Reto) Filli, Joan (Derek) Reijnen, and Joseph (Julie Ann) Daubenberger, eight grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren. He is predeceased by his wife, Donna Daubenberger, his sisters, Marjorie Deland and Barbara Bigelow and two grandchildren, Nash and Janus Reijnen.

The family would like to thank and acknowledge the loving care that he received from Peninsula Homecare Cooperative during his last years at home, the kind care over the last ten months at Victoria Place, and the wonderful staff and volunteers from Jefferson Healthcare’s Hospice.

A Memorial will be held at the NW Maritime Center on Sunday, May 3 from 2:00 to 4:00.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider donations to Habitat for Humanity EJC, NWMC or Jefferson Healthcare Hospice.