May 30, 1931 – November 11, 2018

Karl James Hildinger was born in Danville, California in 1931. He passed away at home, surrounded by family, in South Lake Tahoe on November 11, 2018.

Three weeks after he was born, he was carried into Angora Lakes Resort in a Washoe papoose basket. He was a staunch environmentalist and spent his lifetime protecting and preserving Angora and the greater Lake Tahoe Basin. The Angora Lakes Resort remains in the family.

Jim served in the Army from 1956-1958, playing 1st violin in the 7th Army Symphony in Germany. He taught instrumental music in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District for 29 years to hundreds of high school, middle school and elementary school students. He also performed as a violinist in the Reno area.

He was a self-taught black and white photographer. Many of his photographs are in private collections throughout Lake Tahoe and in his book, Tahoe in Black & White. He gave his thousands of negatives and proofs to the University of Nevada, Reno, for posterity.

Jim was an avid wintertime sailor on Lake Tahoe and spent many delightful hours in Emerald Bay surrounded by good friends. He was a lifetime member of the Windjammers Yacht Club, which he helped to found in 1974. He participated in many sailing races on Lake Tahoe.

He is survived by his wife, Gloria Hildinger, his son Eric & daughter-in-law Trish Hildinger, his grandson Lee Hildinger, and his daughter Judith Hildinger & son-in-law Eric Meader.

To all those he leaves behind, he says “thank you”.

There will be no memorial service at this time.