James "Jim" Hildreth, 68, of Eastham, passed away peacefully on February 23 at the McCarthy Care Center in East Sandwich after a battle with cancer and related complications that he fought hard to the very end. Jim leaves his wife Linda Vagan Hildreth, sister Linda Giergielewicz and husband Theodore of Bridgewater, NJ, and brother-in-law Brother James Vagan of Flushing, NY. He was predeceased by his parents Marion and James Hildreth. A gifted writer, Jim attended the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop. In 1981, he followed his then-girlfriend Linda Vagan to Wellfleet where they stayed and built a life on the Outer Cape for nearly four decades. A former member of the Wellfleet Conservation Commission, Jim was a prolific gardener and freelance writer for numerous local and national publications. In the 1980s, he served as editor of Provincetown Magazine where his quiet and stoic demeanor made him the perfect foil for interviews with colorful Outer Cape characters. That same demeanor also made Jim a popular bartender on the Outer Cape, with stints at the Provincetown Inn, VFW of Provincetown, and most recently at the Orleans-Eastham Elks Lodge, Jim was also an aficionado and collector of classic rock recordings, particularly of the 60s, 70s and 80s. In Jim's memory and in honor of the Cape's natural surroundings he so loved, we leave his friends and family with the words of his icon David Bowie from one of the rocker's last singles entitled "Lazarus": "In parting, This way or no way You know I'll be free Just like that bluebird Now, ain't that just like me? Oh, I'll be free Just like that bluebird Oh, I'll be free Ain't that just like me?" Obituary lovingly Written by the family of James Hildreth