Photo courtesy of Chambers Funeral Homes - North Olmsted
Jul 9, 1946 - Aug 2, 2025
Dear Kathy,
Polak and Kotlyn families,
We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time.
Wishing the entire Kotlyn and Polak families peace.✝.
Jim was a kind and gentle man- he always had a silly joke or smile to share. Our heartfelt condolences ✝.
The Gallagher family-
(nextdoor neighbors)
August 12, 2025
We will miss our dear friend who we loved like a brother! Our memories are of a devoted family man and loyal friend who had the kindest heart of anyone we know!! We were blessed to have him in our lives!! Our thoughts and prayers are with Kathy and all of his family...may wonderful memories keep him close to you!! Love. Bob & Jan
Bob & Jan Reik
August 08, 2025 | North Olmsted, OH | Friend
Very nice talking with Jim and Kathy as neighbors at 29652 Huntington Dr. Jim will be in our memory.
Ying Cha
August 06, 2025 | North Olmsted, OH | Neighbor
May the love of God surround you and your family during this difficult time,
May you come to know that the love of God is with you always,
May your memories of James A. Kotlyn, give you peace, comfort and strength
Rest now in the arms of our Lord your mission on earth is complete.
I thank you for your service to our Country and my Freedom. You will not be forgotten...
My thoughts
and prayers to the family of .
US Air Force Veteran,...
Cheryl J Skinner Tri-State Military Museum
August 06, 2025 | Belmont, OH
Jim was a very calm happy person and always had a smile for you. He spoke about his children and step children with love and kindness. I’m glad he was in Kathy’s life and mine as a brother-in-law. GOD bless him
Denise Farrell
August 05, 2025 | Brookpark, OH | Daughter
JAMES ALLEN KOTLYN, 79, North Olmsted resident, an Air Force veteran, loving husband, father, stepfather, brother, grandfather, and friend departed this world to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on the morning of August 2, 2025 following a long battle with Dementia and cancer. Jim was born July 9, 1946, in Cleveland, OH to Joseph Kotlyn and Rita (Eiben) Kotlyn.
Jim was a proud Vietnam Veteran and was a 100% disabled Veteran from the USAF where he spent four years in service to his country including a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam as a Fighter Jet Aircraft Mechanic and Crew Chief.
Known to friends and family as Jim, Dad, Pops, Grandpa, and Grandpa Duck, he led a remarkable life, and we are blessed to have decades of wonderful memories. Jim Loved all things, but his family was his most cherished accomplishment. Jim’s love of family was beyond reproach. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them. He was known for dropping everything he was doing whenever one of his sons, stepsons, or grandchildren had a question, needed a helping hand, or just someone to listen. There was absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do for his “boys” to include humbling them in a round of golf on a sunny weekend. Jim married Kathleen (Kelly) Kotlyn in 1987, and he and Kathy spent their days doting over their grandchildren, tending to their home and spending countless hours relaxing on their screened in porch where they enjoyed each other’s company while reading and sharing their favorite Bible passages.
Jim is survived by his wife, and best friend of 37 years Kathleen (Kelly) Kotlyn, his sons; James P Kotlyn and his wife Kristy (King) Kotlyn of Wesley Chapel, FL, Shawn Kotlyn, and his wife Rosalyn (Bacus) Kotlyn of Broadview Hts, OH, Michael Kotlyn and his wife Cecilia (Frammartino) Kotlyn of Cuyahoga Falls, OH, his stepsons; Christopher Polak and his wife Svetlana (Walker) Polak of Akron, OH, Mark Polak and his wife Yvonne (Hansgen) Polak of Berlin Germany, Scott Polak of Broadview Hts, his brother; Jeffrey Kotlyn and his wife Susan (Cottom) Kotlyn of Leesburg, FL, his sister; Laura (Kotlyn) Silvia and her husband David Silvia of St Petersburg, FL, nine grandchildren; Chasten Kotlyn, Nathan Kotlyn and his wife Annie (Clemens) Kotlyn, Evan Kotlyn, Lauren Kotlyn, Jenna Kotlyn, Olivia Kotlyn, Isabelle Kotlyn, Grace Polak and Glen Polak
Jim was preceded in death by his father Joseph Kotlyn, his mother Rita (Eiben) Kotlyn, and his brother Joseph Kotlyn.
Funeral Service Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 11 A.M. in the CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of NORTH OLMSTED, 29150 LORAIN RD. AT STEARNS RD., where friends may call SATURDAY 10:30 A.M. UNTIL TIME OF SERVICE. Interment with military honors Brooklyn Heights Cemetery.
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