James Edward Pielsticker

James Edward Pielsticker, 79, of Lisle, Illinois, passed away peacefully on February 20, 2025. Jim was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Frank and Veronica Pielsticker, the oldest of nine children, and he was raised in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills. He attended Benet Academy in Lisle before earning a degree in history from the University of Notre Dame. After marrying Barbara in 1967, Jim earned an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and spent several years working at Oklahomans for Indian Opportunity in Norman, Oklahoma, before coming back to the Chicago area in 1974 and ultimately making his home in Lisle. He spent the rest of his career at Arrow Gear Company, a manufacturing business co-founded by his father, in Downers Grove.
Throughout his life, Jim enjoyed spending time at his second home on Bass Lake in Pentwater, Michigan, and at the Pielsticker family cabin near Crested Butte, Colorado. He was a fisherman, skier, car enthusiast and expert putterer. An engineer at heart, there was nothing he couldn't fix. Above all, he was devoted to his family and loved being a father and grandfather.
Jim is survived by Barbara (Egbert), his wife of 57 years; daughters Anne Kiplinger, Katie Pielsticker, and Maggie (Ryan) Snow; siblings Frank (Judith) Pielsticker, Mark Pielsticker, Patricia Bittle, William (Kathy) Pielsticker, Jo (Jeff) Slaga, Kathy Pielsticker, Mary (Jeff) Wahlgren, and Susan Mizuno; grandchildren Megan, Rose, Jack (Lauren), Caroline, Grace, Audrey, James, Violet, Mary, and Henry; great-grandson Theodore; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Veronica (Schwab) Pielsticker.
Services at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home in Naperville will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet (catholiccharitiesjoliet.org), 16555 Weber Road, Crest Hill, IL 60403.