James Joseph Stelzer

1935 - 2023

News story
By Eric Taunton
Blade Staff Writer

James Joseph Stelzer, known for his sense of community and love of fishing, died Aug. 31 at Charter Senior Living of Oak Openings in Sylvania. He was 88.

His daughter, Anna-Marie Adamson, said he died due to declining health resulting from old age.

Mrs. Adamson said her father was an avid storyteller who had an "extremely sarcastic" sense of humor, having a story and a teaching lesson for anyone who walked into Titgemeier's Feed and Garden in South Toledo, where he worked for over 30 years.

"He was very quick-witted," she said. "He was extremely sarcastic but in such a kind way that people loved his sarcasm. Everybody that came in contact with him really enjoyed his company. To the bitter end, he was kind and he was a storyteller."

Jacquelyn Adamson, Mr. Stelzer's granddaughter and Mrs. Adamson's daughter, said her grandfather was always a "complete gentleman, a goofball," and her "favorite grandpa."

"He was a complete gentleman always," she said. "He was my fishing buddy. We had matching fishing shirts. Anytime I came home he would ask me when we were going fishing. He'd make jokes saying we were going to go ice fishing in the winter."

Mr. Stelzer was born April 12, 1935, to Robert and Magda Stelzer in Toledo, where he graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1953.

He met his wife of 60 years, Jo-Ann Bailey, when he played the drums in the high school's marching band, Mrs. Adamson said.

After graduating high school, Mr. Stelzer decided to follow in his brother's footsteps by joining the U.S. Navy, which he served in for four years, she said.

Mrs. Adamson said all three of his siblings served in the U.S. Navy.

"They just wanted to serve," she said. "They're from Germany, their mother is from Denmark. The United States was an important aspect of their upbringing because of their parents being immigrants and I think service for their country was instilled in them."

While he was serving in the Navy, Mr. Stelzer and his soon-to-be wife sent several letters throughout his military career, which their family still has, Mrs. Adamson said.

"My father actually got a Dear John letter while he was in the service," Mrs. Adamson said. "They wrote every single day and both of them kept every single one. Their love is unbelievable. It's quite a movie to be honest with you."

Mr. Stelzer married Jo-Ann after he ended his military service, Mrs. Adamson said.

She said the two were "inseparable" and were always on the same page while she was growing up and if they weren't, she and her siblings didn't know about it.

"They were amazing parents," she said. "They were always at every event we all had, there were four of us. We were all really involved in our different activities."

Mrs. Adamson said education was a huge priority for her parents when they were raising her and her siblings.

She remembers when her mother was president of the parent teacher association at their high school, often bringing her father along to events, Mrs. Adamson said.

"Education was a pinnacle," she said. "Neither one of my parents had college degrees and all four of us have college degrees and beyond. … That was a priority and they made that stuff happen."

When he came back home after his service, Mr. Stelzer started working as a delivery driver for Titgemeier's Feed and Garden when he was 24 years old, delivering to various business and institutions including the Toledo Zoo, before becoming the owner of Titgemeier's for 15 years, Mrs. Adamson said.

Before he retired from the business in 1998, his daughter said Mr. Stelzer went above and beyond for his customers by walking merchandise to their cars while telling them stories as well as preparing people's lawn mowers for the winter season.

"The world is going to miss the entrepreneur he was when he owned Titgemeier's Feed and Garden," she said. "He built that business. That's where he got his love of people, talking, telling people stories, and giving people information. He knew more about gardening and lawns than anybody I know."

An avid gardener himself, Mr. Stelzer would travel to people's homes and give them recommendations on how to better their lawns or fix a problem they may have had, his daughter said.

Mrs. Adamson said his lawn was the "greenest lawn on the block," featuring many "brilliant" flowers.

"He spent a lot of time on it so people were always asking him questions," she said.

After he retired, Mr. Stelzer and his wife traveled all over the country and beyond to places such as Florida and Europe, Mrs. Adamson said.

Mr. Stelzer was also an avid tennis player, reader, and stamp collector, keeping every stamp he came across since childhood up until he died, his daughter said.

He also cherished his time with close friends Myron Goff, Joe Zychowicz, and his cousin, Jo Ann Vanderpool, who he cared for deeply, Mrs. Adamson said.

"He was one of those spectacular people who went about doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way," she said.

Mr. Stelzer is survived by his daughters, Ann-Marie Adamson, Suzanne Sutliff, and Cathleen Margolin; son James Stelzer II; eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at St. Joseph Church in Sylvania at 10 a.m. on Nov. 25, followed by a private gathering at Resurrection Cemetery.

Memorial donations are asked to be made to Central Catholic High School.