James Rudnick

James Rudnick was an easygoing man who enjoyed everyone. He worked hard and played hard, always kept a frugal mind, and was first to offer assistance to his family and friends. Jim loved sports, was active in restoring Ford Mustangs, playing golf with friends, but most of all, he loved his family.

The year was 1939 and the United States was slowly climbing its way out of the dark recesses of the Great Depression. War had just erupted in Europe and within a few years the U.S. would be dragged into the conflict. Meanwhile, on the shores of Lake Michigan in the city of St. Joseph, Michigan, Jerome and Mary (Carmignani) Rudnick were celebrating the birth of their son, James, on January 10, 1949. He was the youngest of their four children: Rose, Jerome, Dave and James.

Jim’s father was a grape farmer, and also owned and operated a Standard Oil service station where Jim operated a tow truck. Jim was a hard worker from his earliest moments and always helped out at the station and in the vineyards of the family farm. Aside from work, Jim was also well rounded in his academics and sports activities. He enjoyed his education as student attending St. Joseph Catholic and was involved in multiple sports. He was quarterback for the football team, shortstop in baseball and the captain of the basketball team. After graduating in 1967, Jim went on to attend Western Michigan University, where he earned his Bachelor’s of Art degree in Education in 1972.

It was during this time that Jim married his high school sweetheart, Anne Glass, in 1969, at St. John’s Church near Watervliet, Michigan. The newlyweds settled into married life together in St. Joseph, where Jim worked earned his first Automotive teaching job at Edwardsburg High School. It wasn’t long before the couple started a family of their own with the birth of their son, Chuck, in 1970, followed by their son, Joe, in 1973. In the late 1970s, Jim, Anne and their boys moved to DeWitt, Michigan, which was just north of Lansing and took a job with the State of Michigan. As a father, Jim was very active and attentive in his boys’ lives. He helped coach their soccer teams and Little League, and never missed any of their school activities.

While still working for the State, Jim went back to school at WMU and earned his Master’s in Education Administration. Unfortunately, Jim and Anne’s marriage grew apart and ended in 1987. Thereafter, Jim moved to Kalamazoo and started working as an Administrator for the Kalamazoo Public School system. Jim was very mechanically minded and had a real passion for any kind of technical work. Over the years, he pioneered a variety of Vocational Technical classes at KPS, including Commercial Design, Building Trades, Automotive and Veterinary Science to name a few. A dedicated educator, Jim was greatly respected by his fellow colleagues and a wonderful mentor and friend to the many students and colleagues he met throughout his career.

While enjoying his Administrative career, Jim remarried in 1990 to Heidi Kreitz with daughter Jamie, and settled into life together in Kalamazoo. Jim enjoyed being a father and mentor to Jamie while his two sons were attending College. In 1997, Jim’s life changed once again as he moved as a single man to Portage. Jim continued his successful career in Administration with Portage Public Schools, where he retired in 2002.

After retiring, Jim took a once in a lifetime trip with his brothers to Italy, where they met distant relatives for the first time. This was especially interesting to him since he was big into his family’s genealogy and had researched their code of arms and an extensive family tree. Jim traveled mostly for work, though he enjoyed travel to the Upper Peninsula and camping with family. He had many hobbies at home to keep him busy as well, including the complete restoration of a 1973 Mustang and his 1965 Mustang project. Jim was without a doubt handy, in fact, he completely rebuilt an antique player piano piece by piece. There wasn’t anything Jim couldn’t do once he set his mind to it and he could find a solution to any obstacle. A real sports fan, Jim was a loyal follower of Notre Dame Football since his childhood, but also had a love the Chicago White Sox. He would attend a game every year and was in the stands when they won the World Series in 2005. Jim enjoyed old western movies, and was a big Beatles and Eagle fan.

Jim was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain Cancer on October 18, 2007. He underwent surgery in November and radiation/chemotherapy in December and January. Jim’s life was ended sadly on Saturday, May 10, 2008, at the age of 59. All who knew and loved Jim will treasure his memory.

Learn more about Jim, view his Life Story film, and visit with his family and friends on Wednesday, May 14, from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Homes, Betzler, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (375-2900). Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, May 15, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. Food and fellowship will follow the mass in the church hall. Private burial will take place at Resurrection Cemetery, St. Joseph.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents. Surviving are his two sons and step daughter: Chuck (Daiva) Rudnick and Joe (Lisa M.) Rudnick, all of Mattawan, and Jamie Obeshaw of Kalamazoo; four grandchildren: Anne, Thomas, Chloe and Olivia; three siblings: Rose (Don) Hafer of Coloma, Jerome (Joy) Rudnick of Sun City West, AZ and Dave (Sue) Rudnick of Muskegon; and many nieces and nephews. Please visit Jim’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may share a memory or photo with his family or sign his online guest book before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.