James Tribitt

James (Jim) Franklin Tribitt passed away on Nov 3, 2017 of complications of a short battle with pneumonia and a long struggle with the effects of muscular dystrophy. Jim was born in Minot, North Dakota to Lloyd and Donna Tribitt on 8-21-1970; he was their second son of three. Jim grew up in Minot. He spent his summers riding his horse Jack and working with his brother with their lawn mowing business. Jim was a wild one and would ride his horse backwards with his shirt off alongside the highway. Needless to say he almost caused a few wrecks. After high school he moved to Jackson, Wyoming where his brother John had moved. He worked several jobs but didn't quite find his groove. He returned to Minot and decided on a career in radio. Jim attended broadcaster's school and became a DJ. He returned to Wyoming and DJ'd for KMTN radio in Jackson. His radio name was Jimmy Keys. We laughed all the time about his radio name. He always played the most off the wall songs on his shift. Jim moved on to Gillette, WY to further his radio career; in time the pull of North Dakota became too strong and he returned to Minot. After returning to Minot he worked construction with his uncle Darrell Hight with whom he developed a close friendship. Jim met his wife in Minot and he got a family. His first daughter Mariah came to love her dad very much. She has fond memories of Jim teaching her how to drive a stick shift. Jim and his wife Nicole added two more to the family, a son Trystn and a daughter Khari. Jim had moved from construction into truck driving and also ran an asphalt plant. About this time the first effects of muscular dystrophy were starting to appear; after several tests and false diagnosis, the problem was identified as Limb Girdle muscular dystrophy, a disease that slowly takes your ability to walk away. Jim and his wife came up with a plan to go back to school and find a new career. Jim attended Bismarck State College and then University of Mary and got a degree in Social work. Sadly for Jim the effect of muscular dystrophy made it hard for him to use his degree. Jim spent several years at home with his family. Jim and his wife separated and Jim spent several years in assisted living. He stayed close with all three of his children and they checked on him all the time. The social worker where Jim spent his final days said that he would come and visit her almost every day at her office just to see how she was doing. She also said he would be missed by his roommate and the patient on his floor. Jim always seemed to rebound after a health scare. We all expected to hear he was back up and running after this little issue. We are all still in shock that we will not see him again. We all know that Jim is now finally at peace and we look forward to seeing him down the road. Jim is survived by his children Mariah, Trystn, Khari; parents Lloyd and Donna Tribitt; brother Justin (Tami) Tribitt and daughter Piper; brother John (LaRee) Tribitt and sons TaZin and Bru'N. We plan a memorial service in December.