James Francis Althoff of Madison, Tennessee

September 27, 1946 - June 5, 2022

Jim Althoff passed away peacefully in the arms of his family on Sunday, June 5, 2022, at Nashville VA Medical Center in Nashville, TN. A memorial service is planned in Manteca, CA on July 9th.

James Francis Althoff was born in Kenosha, WI on September 27, 1946 to Leon Alfred and Cynthia Virginia (Lee) Althoff. The third of three children, Jim graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1968 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. After graduating, Jim pursued graduate studies in communications at Queens College, City University of New York. From 1968 to 1970, Jim served a tour of duty in the Army, teaching English with a civil affairs company during the Vietnam War.

Following his honorable discharge from the armed forces, Jim studied radio in San Francisco, working as a DJ at KOSO Modesto and KJAZ San Francisco before his first position as a talk show host at KGO AM. Jim moved on to host a talk radio show at KXL and the public affairs television show “Between the Lines” in Portland, OR, where he met his wife Andee Beck, then a television critic for The Oregon Journal . The couple moved to Seattle, where Jim hosted talk radio program “The Jim Althoff Show” at KING-1090 for 10 years. Jim and Andee went on to co-host “The Jim and Andee Show,” first at WTMJ Milwaukee and then KTRS St. Louis. Jim worked for many years at Classic 99 and KWMU Public Radio, produced and hosted the local filmmaker showcase  program “Frames” on HEC-TV, and substitute taught in Parkway schools before retiring and moving to Nashville in 2020. He distinguished himself throughout his broadcasting career as a keen interviewer and an informative, entertaining personality.

Jim is remembered by those who loved him as a funny, loving, loyal, generous, and fiercely intelligent man. He and Andee were fortunate to enjoy 38 years of marriage. He was a voracious reader and lover of classic English literature, and felt strongly that Haruki Murakami deserved the Nobel Prize in Literature. Raised in the churches of Catholicism and Cubs baseball, he died an atheist and a Cardinals fan. Jim was an optimistic person who believed in the essential goodness of people, and he faced death with the understanding that, as he often said, “the claw of the sea-puss gets us all in the end.” A lifelong smoker, Jim’s final years were marked by a prolonged struggle with lung cancer, which ultimately ended his life.

Jim is predeceased by his parents and his sister, Nancy Basten. He is survived by his wife, Andrea (Beck), daughter Sylvie (m. Jennifer Thomas), son Daniel (m. Drishti Rana), and sister Judy Cefalu. The family wishes to thank the medical team at the Nashville VA Medical Center ICU for their exceptionally professional and compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, Jim’s family requests donations in his name to the American Lung Association or your local public radio station.