A hometown bank’s co-founder who also had a big heart for raising funds to help various facets of the Santa Maria Valley community has died at age 82.

James “Jim” D. Glines, a Santa Maria Valley native, died early Thursday morning at home, according to his family.

Glines joined with William “Bill” Hares in 2000 to create Community Bank of Santa Maria and served as chief executive officer until his retirement in 2014. 

At the time of his death, he still filled the role of chairman of the board for the bank that boasts being the “Home of Santa Maria Style Banking.”

“The entire Community Bank of Santa Maria family is deeply saddened by the passing of our founder, friend and mentor. Our thoughts are with Jim’s family, friends and the entire community during this difficult time,” said Janet Silveria, president and chief executive officer of Community Bank of Santa Maria. 

“His influence on all of us is beyond measure. While we cannot replace the void he leaves, we are committed to continuing the many legacies he created throughout his life. With his kindness and generosity, he has equipped us all with the strength and tools to carry forward his work.”

For decades, Glines, known for his big personality and his storytelling, has played a pivotal role in raising money for various community groups through his involvement in the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo and other organizations.

One recent focus of his fundraising efforts involved Allan Hancock College, where he played a key role in starting the Bulldog Boosters and raised more than $1 million for athletic programs. Glines has served as chief executive officer of the booster club for 24 years.

“Jim was a force of nature throughout Santa Maria, and he loved this community,” Allan Hancock College Superintendent/President Kevin Walthers told staff and students.

Glines’ love of rodeo also saw him strongly supporting the campus rodeo club, “which is competing well with many larger and more affluent colleges,” Walthers said. 

“Jim’s legacy will continue at Allan Hancock College, and we are grateful to have called him our friend,” Walthers added.

Glines also was an award-winning auctioneer using that role to raise funds for various nonprofit organizations, including the Santa Maria Police Council fundraiser in June. 

He also became an avid barbecuer, offering his services at community fundraisers and delivering Santa Maria-style meals for buyers, including local employers.

Not surprisingly, his detailed memorial plans even spell out who should barbecue at his celebration of life. 

“He was my hero,” John Glines said of his father. “He’s a legend. He was just always there for me. Always.”

He also loved being a grandfather, with the son saying his dad would want to be remembered for “what a great granddad that he was.” 

“He was very proud of his family,” John Glines added.

Survivors include Glines’ wife, Kathy, of 30 years along with four children and five grandchildren.

The nephew of a longtime Santa Maria Valley banker, Glines intended to work on the family’s Rock Front Ranch off Highway 166 after graduating from Cal Poly, but his parents sold the property and retired. Instead, Glines joined Wells Fargo Bank on a management training program in 1966. 

He worked for Wells Fargo in Hanford in the San Joaquin Valley before returning to Santa Maria — ironically somewhat reluctantly in 1973.

“Honestly, there was something a little bit frightening about coming to your hometown and being a banker because you’re dealing with people you grew up with and did stupid things with, and proving yourself to the older generation,” he said at the time of his retirement in 2014.

After 13 years with Wells Fargo, in April 1983 he joined the staff of Bank of Santa Maria, where he remained until it sold in 1998 to Mid-State Bank (now part of Rabobank which later became Mechanics Bank). He spent six months with Mid-State through the merger, and later a little more than a year at another local bank also acquired.

In June 2000, Glines and Hares, Bank of Santa Maria’s former president, joined forces to bring back hometown banking, kicking off the legal process followed by the opening in March 2001.

“We felt the need for a hometown community bank,” Glines said in 2014.

After his retirement, he maintained a desk in the main branch to continue working in marketing, business development and community relations along with mentoring younger community bankers.

Glines was a longtime member of the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, past chairman of the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Queen Contest, a member of Los Rancheros Visitadores and former member of the Santa Barbara County Fair Board of Directors.

He received a number of awards, including California State Champion Auctioneer in 2001, Santa Maria Citizen of the Year in 2005, Santa Maria Elks Citizen of the Year in 2008 and the County Fair’s Director’s Choice Person of the Year in 2018.

Funeral arrangements are in the care of the Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory and Memory Gardens with services pending.