Jim Hart

“What can I do for you?” That was Jim Hart’s familiar refrain, a life motto more credo than catchphrase for him. Jim was just that kind of man, always offering to help, to teach, or to coach, always willing to do something for someone else. Jim was a beloved husband, father and grandfather, a proud veteran and loyal friend. More than anything, Jim was a person who made us all better, just by knowing him.

Jim’s story began on a hot summer day in 1922, after the fireworks ended in Kendallville, Indiana. Those were such exciting times in this country, the dawn of the Roaring 20s, when Big Bands were king, and Prohibition was the law of the land. On July 8, 1922, Arthur and Grace (Miller) Hart celebrated the birth of a baby boy, a son they named James.

Little Jim never lacked for his share of nicknames, even right from the start. The nurse in the hospital called him “Buster,” and as he grew older, he even started to look like Buster Brown, so the name stuck. Other family members called him “Bus,” and later in life, he’d be called “Buzz,” too.

“Buster” was the baby of three kids in the family home, which was relocated to a farm in Paw Paw, Michigan shortly after he was born. When he was very young the family moved once again, to a little home on Lay Boulevard in Kalamazoo, which is where Jim truly grew up.

Like so many young boys of his generation, Jim grew up dreaming about one day playing Major League Baseball, of roaming the ivy-covered outfield of Wrigley Field, home of his beloved Chicago Cubs. Then, when he was just a freshman at Kalamazoo Central High School, Jim did a report on coaching, and decided that would be the next-best thing to playing professionally.

Baseball was Jim’s first true love, and it was a lifelong love affair for him. In 1938, he saw his first professional game, when he and his neighbor friend, Tommy Thompson, his brother Bud and two friends went to Chicago to see the Cubbies play at Wrigley. It was a day Jim never forgot, and passed that passion and appreciation for the game onto countless kids in his lifetime.

Jim was a good athlete in his own right, and a star on many of the Maroon Giants’ teams in his time there. After he graduated, Jim stayed close to home, enrolling at Western Michigan University, though soon his country would need his services.

With World War II now in full force, Jim left WMU and walked down to the recruitment office in Kalamazoo on September 17, 1942, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Jim proudly served overseas in Italy from 1943-45. When the war ended and he was discharged, Jim returned to finish at Western, and also began his coaching career, too, as an assistant coach on the very first football team at Portage High School, in 1946. Jim began his teaching career in the Portage School District in 1948, and was promptly named the Mathematics Departmental Chairman, a post he held his entire, 36-year career!

Jim hit a “home run” in his personal life, too. A baseball buddy of Jim’s had a cousin named Patricia “Pat” Reynolds, and Jim’s buddy wanted her to meet him. They hit it off right away, and before they knew it, the couple was in love. They were married at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Kalamazoo on November 23, 1949, and spent their honeymoon in Chicago.

Jim was very busy coaching, teaching, and doting on his new bride, but he also found time to further his own education, too. In 1948, Jim went to the University of Michigan, and earned his Master’s degree in Education in 1950.

The following year, Jim and Pat became parents, with the birth of their son Mike. Mary Beth rounded out the happy family in 1955, and Jim couldn’t have been prouder to be a father. He was a wonderful Dad, and his attendance at their events (even the ones he wasn’t coaching!) was a top priority to him. The kids fondly remember Dad cramming every possible item they would need on top of their car for their summer vacations, then heading off down the road, driving across the country seeing the U.S.

Jim was always great with children, and not just his own. He impacted so many young lives through his teaching, coaching and mentoring over the years. For many years Jim coached the Portage High School Varsity baseball team, as well as the JV and freshman basketball teams and the football teams, too.

Baseball was his true love, though, and he also developed and coordinated the Connie Mack League in Portage from 1955 to 1982, in addition to the many instructional baseball camps in the City of Portage summer recreation program. Jim also served as the Recreational Coordinator for the entire Portage summer program. Jim took his well-deserved retirement from teaching and coaching in 1984.

As busy as he was helping, teaching, and coaching others over the years, Jim’s family was always foremost in his life. “What can I do for you?” never took greater meaning than it did when Jim’s beloved Pat began having health problems in the 1970s. She developed rheumatoid arthritis, an often debilitating illness. Jim lovingly, patiently cared for her during all her troubles, and always sought out the very best treatment he could find anywhere. He also cared for his mother-in-law, Gladys Reynolds, as well.

Sadly, Pat died in 1997, and though Jim missed her terribly, he persevered, buoyed by his family. After all those years of asking, “What can I do for you?” they were only too happy to return the favor. A decade later, however, Jim was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was determined to fight it, but after complications from surgery, Jim died peacefully on Sunday, December 2, 2007, at the age of 85.

Jim was such a wonderful man, who lived a wonderful life, a life devoted to teaching, coaching, and helping those around him. “What can I do for you?” he always asked. That was Jim’s greatest lesson: It’s not what you do in life that counts, it’s what you do for others that matters most of all. He will be so greatly missed.

Jim is survived by one son, Michael (Mary Kay) Hart of Naples, FL, and one daughter Mary “Beth” (Cal) Vandenberg of Portage, MI; 4 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Also surviving is a very special sister-in-law, Donna Gunnett and special niece Nancy Ossmann. Cremation will take place. The family will receive friends on Friday from 4:00-8:00 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-Kalamazoo 6080 Stadium Drive, 375-2900. A service to honor his life will be held Saturday at a time to be determined, followed by a luncheon in the Life Story Center at the funeral home. Private interment of cremated remains will take place at Portage South Cemetery. Please visit Jim’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can share a memory or photo, sign the guestbook or make a memorial contribution to Hospice Care of Southwest MI.