James L. VanVleet

James L. VanVleet Marshall James L. VanVleet, age 78, of Marshall, died on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at his home of 42 years with his loving wife and children by his side. Jim was born September 14, 1932 in Battle Creek to Lawrence and Jessie (Koltzen) VanVleet. He attended Lakeview High School until the middle of his junior year when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Airborne on Feb. 28, 1951. He earned the rank of First Sergeant and was honorably discharged on March 2, 1954. Jim later returned to Battle Creek where he completed his high school education through Battle Creek Central High School. He then attended Kellogg Community College and studied Business. He returned to Battle Creek after his Army service and went to work at Kellogg Company. One of his co-worker's husbands was a supervisor with Consumer's Power in Battle Creek. Jim expressed interest in Consumers and even though they were not hiring, Jim was hired on August 23, 1954 as a Tree Trimmer for Consumers. He worked part time for Leo Spilzley Construction Company in 1959. In 1960 he was transferred to the Albion office of Consumer's and he moved his family to Marshall that year. He was promoted to Distribution Line Supervisor which was the position he served the community in when he retired on Dec. 31, 1990. Jim was very service oriented and was dedicated to delivering the best service Consumer's could give to his customers. Jim became part of the Belcher-Dingman and Spaulding auction crew in 1990. He and his wife Katie enjoyed working auctions together until 2006. When Springfield High School merged into Lakeview High School during the latter part of Jim's freshman year Catherine A. "Katie" Carver was part of the group from Lakeview touring with Jim's Springfield class. Katie spotted Jim and told her friends "that's the boy I'm going to date!". Jim never had a chance after that and the couple were married on January 29, 1955 at Lakeview Baptist Church. They have enjoyed a fruitful and loving partnership since then. He was a member of the Marshall United Methodist Church and the Marshall Executive Club. Jim volunteered to do electrical work at the church as well as anything else that needed doing! He enjoyed working with his hands and was capable of fixing anything whether it be plumbing, electrical, mechanical or woodwork. Jim and Katie worked on their 150 year old farm house and created a warm home for their family. Jim volunteered with the American Red Cross and helped set up Blood Mobiles the past two years. He will be remembered as a good neighbor who was always there and willing when help was needed. For recreation Jim loved to play golf. Surviving are his wife Katie, their son Kim (Charlcee) VanVleet of Puyallup, WA and their daughter Valerie (Gary) Carson of Dallas, TX; his brothers Darel (Eileen) VanVleet of Girard and Leroy Barnard; and sisters Beverly Puckett of Kalamazoo and Nancy Kingery of Utah. He was preceded in death by his parents Lawrence and Reba VanVleet and Jessie and Thad Barnard, and a brother Terry Barnard. Friends may call at Craig K. Kempf Funeral Home and Cremation Services on Wednesday 2p.m.-8p.m. where family will be present to greet friends and share memories 2p.m.-4p.m. and 6p.m.-8p.m. Funeral services to celebrate his life and his Lord will be held on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 11a.m. with Rev. Len Schoenherr officiating. Cremation will follow services and family committal services will be at Bosworth Cemetery. A fellowship will follow at Marshall United Methodist Church. Memorials may be directed to the United Methodist Church. Assistance available at Kempf Funeral Home. To leave a personal message for the family visit www.kempffuneralhome.com