James Allen Silver, MD, Colonel USAF (Retired), age 92, passed away peacefully at home in Henderson, NV, the morning of August 24, 2025, with his family by his side.
James was born April 7, 1933, the first of five children of Bernard and Nora Silver in Tracy. With brothers Jerome and Donald, sisters Patricia and Constance, they lived in Tracy during his childhood, where his father was a house painter and mother a homemaker. He developed a love of learning and medicine that resulted in his being valedictorian of Tracy High School in 1951, graduating cum laude from St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, and receiving the Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Minnesota in 1958.
After interning at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL, Jim entered the United States Air Force for two years’ duty at Homestead AFB, Homestead, FL, followed by general practice at Lincourt Medical Center, Clearwater, FL. He met his love and life partner, Regina Alohanohea Lover, a Polynesian dancer from Hawaii, in St. Petersburg, FL, where they were married in Blessed Trinity Catholic Church on June 15, 1964.
Maile Anne, the first of five children, was born in 1965, followed by Moana Marie (1966) and Gregory Keola (1967). After practice with the Glades Clinic in Belle Glade, FL, Jim joined the Kwajalein Missile Range Hospital staff on Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands in the Pacific, where he delivered daughter Telu Elena in 1969.
Wishing to specialize in Occupational Medicine, James and family moved in 1971 to Ann Arbor, MI for a two-year residency and Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. After serving for one year as Marathon Oil Company (Findlay, OH) Assistant Medical Director, in 1974 he accepted an offer to rejoin the US Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel assigned to the USAF Clinic at Hickam AFB, HI. Six months later, he moved to the staff of the Headquarters PACAF Command Surgeon as Chief, Preventive Medicine Division, and was promoted to Colonel in February 1976. Second son James Kapono was born in 1975. Reassignment took the family to Albuquerque, NM for his duty as Commander, USAF Hospital Kirtland. Five years of accomplishments there were rewarded with the Legion of Merit medal and transfer to Norton AFB, CA, for two years as Chief of Medical Inspection Team B and Deputy to the Medical Inspector General.
After a move to Hq AFLC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Fairborn, OH, for three years as Deputy Command Surgeon and Chief of Medical Operations, the family returned to their beloved Hawaii in 1988 when Dr. Silver became Commander, 15th Medical Group, Hickam AFB.
He enjoyed the succeeding years with Gina’s family, weekends at the beach on Bellows AFS, and multiple clinic-related issues.
His 26-year USAF career concluded with a third Legion of Merit award and retirement in August 1993. The years following were spent enjoying life in their new home on Cooper Creek Drive in Henderson, NV, and subsequently a move to Sun City Anthem. Dr. Silver continued his association with medicine through ten years of transcribing medical dictation for the UMC Emergency Room, Trauma Center, and Pediatric Emergency Room.
His hobbies included bowling, reading, model ship building, TV viewing, genealogy, gaming, computer study, and acrylic painting. He remained active with the four children – Moana, Greg, Telu, Jim – their spouses, eight grandchildren, and four greatgrandchildren living in the immediate area, and through visits with daughter Maile and husband Steve and their two children.
Jim was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, Regina, in 2010, daughter Moana in 2020, parents, brother Jerry, and sister Connie. He is survived by four children, ten grandchildren, four greatgrandchildren, two siblings, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
