James Arthur Johnston, 77, of Chamberlain, Sask., passed away May 11, 2015 at the Regina General Hospital. He was born in 1938 in Prince Albert, Sask., to John and May Johnston. He married Olga Wiszniak on August 6, 1958.

Surviving Jim are his wife Olga; two daughters, Cindy Jackson (Peter) of Regina, Sask., and Brenda Johnston, Alberta; four grandchildren, Sean, Katherine, Melissa and Allan; two brothers George (Marion) Johnston and Dan Johnston; nephews, Michael, Melvin, Rick, David, Calvin, Jason, Vincent, Dean, Brent, Stanley, Harry and Tom; nieces Margaret, Susan, Laurie, and Jody.

Jim was a big part of the drilling and exploration community in western Canada. He started as a rig hand working for Regent Drilling in 1956 and eventually became a drilling supervisor. Over the course of a long career he worked in places as diverse as the Northwest Territories and the outback of Australia. He had several careers over the course of his life: drilling operations manager, elk rancher, mechanic, gas station manager, log house construction but always found his way back to the oil patch. His passions included Arabian horses, hunting and fishing, and horseback riding in the B.C. high country.

He loved to socialize with family and friends, especially over a game of cards. And there was no such thing as a bad western on TV.