1 Upcoming Event
Funeral Service
JAN
03
Saturday, January 3, 2026
Starts at 10:00 am
Lutheran Church of the Cross
2300 Luther Rd, Port Charlotte, FL 33983
James Thomas DeGroot
April 17, 1940 – December 30, 2025
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. We remember with thanksgiving James Thomas DeGroot, known to family and friends as Jim.
Jim was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated from Bay View High School, served in the United States Coast Guard, and worked for over 30 years at Milwaukee Forge before retiring. He later lived in Phillips, Wisconsin, enjoying the outdoors, before moving to Southwest Florida.
A lifelong sports enthusiast and college basketball fan, Jim enjoyed good food and drinks, bocce, fishing, and hunting. He was known for his generosity, devotion to family, and service to others, including volunteering with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department.
Jim was reborn in Holy Baptism and confirmed in the Christian faith. On December 30, 2025, God called him home to heaven.
He is survived by his wife, Jane Marjorie DeGroot (née Klitzke); his children, Jilayne K. (Thomas) Veres and Judith L. (Kenneth) Sherman; his sister, Carol DeGroot; his grandchildren, Nicole M. (Joseph) Green, Sarah A. (Nathaniel) Woodke, Ryan (Bailey) Sherman, Michael (Jessica) Sherman, and Corrynn (Scott) Krueger; and 11 great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 3, at Lutheran Church of the Cross, Port Charlotte, Florida.
April 17, 1940 – December 30, 2025
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. We remember with thanksgiving James Thomas DeGroot, known to family and friends as Jim.
Jim was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated from Bay View High School, served in the United States Coast Guard, and worked for over 30 years at Milwaukee Forge before retiring. He later lived in Phillips, Wisconsin, enjoying the outdoors, before moving to Southwest Florida.
A lifelong sports enthusiast and college basketball fan, Jim enjoyed good food and drinks, bocce, fishing, and hunting. He was known for his generosity, devotion to family, and service to others, including volunteering with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department.
Jim was reborn in Holy Baptism and confirmed in the Christian faith. On December 30, 2025, God called him home to heaven.
He is survived by his wife, Jane Marjorie DeGroot (née Klitzke); his children, Jilayne K. (Thomas) Veres and Judith L. (Kenneth) Sherman; his sister, Carol DeGroot; his grandchildren, Nicole M. (Joseph) Green, Sarah A. (Nathaniel) Woodke, Ryan (Bailey) Sherman, Michael (Jessica) Sherman, and Corrynn (Scott) Krueger; and 11 great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 3, at Lutheran Church of the Cross, Port Charlotte, Florida.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of James DeGroot, please visit our flower store.
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