James Leland Kuralt

James Leland Kuralt

January 30, 1945 ~ June 3, 2021



My Sweetheart, Father, Grandfather, Friend and Teacher returned home to his loving Heavenly Father on June 3, 2021 due to complications of heart surgery. James Leland Kuralt was the fourth son of seven children to Florence Nightingale Kuralt and Richard M Kuralt. He attended Ocean Side High School, and graduated with the senior class of 1965. He joined the USAF and transferred to Hill AFB Utah. He married Mary Patricia Kuralt and later divorced. He met the love of his life and soul mate LoriAnn Kuralt and just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary. They live in Hooper where he loved the fresh air and quiet living.

He held a full time career with HAFB as a civilian for 46 years working in various career fields as bowling center manager, MWR manager and Logistics Manager. He always had a love for bowling and did bowling maintenance working for 60 years. He loved competing in bowling leagues and free time bowling with guys playing for "champion of the world" bragging rights. He began a part time career just out of high school in Oceanside, NY, then after being transferred to HAFB in 1965 he continued his career at the Bowling Center. He also worked in Brigham City at the Storm Bowling Factory and his current position at Rush Bowling Center as a bowling mechanic. He has seen many wonderful changes over the years and loved talking about them. He loved to learn, research and especially teach others to maintain the bowling matching backends. He never took shortcuts when it came to his machines and he taught by example. He would spend hours trying to figure out a problem and often times slept on it. He would wake in the morning having the answer he needed. He was called the bowling whisper, he could listen to bowling machines run and know right away what was broken, he could look and see what others could not. He loved to tell people that he "goes in when he wants, leaves when wants and gets paid what he wants", he was simply the best.

Jim loved vacations with his sweetheart, they have been on seven cruises, traveled to Rome, Costa Rica, but his real enjoyment was their NASCAR races together, cheering on their favorite driver #9 and camping. Jim always said "we like to camp, but not to rough it" almost every weekend we were at the campground and enjoying family and playing cards. He also enjoyed feeding "his humming birds" and watching them eat the juice he made for them. We discovered "movie night at the campground" setting up a big screen projector and sitting around the fire. Jim was known as the satellite guru at the campground, any problems, he was the go to man. Jim and LoriAnn loved every moment of their life together. We could spend every moment together, he always said "I just want to be with my sweetie." His last words in this life were to his sweetheart "I love only you."

The most important accomplishments in Jim's life were being a loving, loyal and caring husband to LoriAnn and raising two families. He had a heart of gold, he stepped in and became a dad to four kids that he didn't have to. He never separated them as any other but his own. He loved his grandbabies and loved to brag about them, he always wanted more. He was a loyal son-in-law to LoriAnn's parents, he enjoyed helping them and visiting with them.

His loving parents preceded him in death. Jim leaves behind the love of his life, LoriAnn; sons, Trever Kuralt (Courtney), David Kuralt, Robert Kuralt, Cody Thompson (Jessica), Travis Hansen (Bailey); daughters, Karen Kuralt and Lacie Nielsen (Chase); grandbabies, Kyden Nielsen, Tilden Nielsen, Tayslie Nielsen, Stella Thompson, and Cash Thompson. Jim didn't care that all of his kids weren't blood, he loved them just the same.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 11, 2021 at 11 a.m. at the Hooper 3rd Ward. Friends may visit with family on Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Lindquist's Roy Mortuary, 3333 W 5600 S and Friday from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the church. Interment, Hooper City Cemetery.