James Willard Wiessner

James (Jim) Willard Wiessner On October 4, surrounded by family, our Dad Jim went home. Those who knew dad well will tell you there were five great loves of his life. First and foremost he loved his very large and continually growing family. He leaves behind his sister Sandy (Jim) Miller, two brothers; Larry (Carol) Wiessner, Jerry Wiessner and all four children; Michelle (Douglas) West, Jim (Robin) Wiessner, Kevin (Lauri) Wiessner, Deb (Rob) James, 13 grandchildren and great grandson whose adventures were a favorite topic of conversation. Hockey; dad loved K-Wings Hockey! He was a lifetime season ticket holder who loved to enjoy the games with family and friends. An avid outdoorsman with an incurable wanderlust dad one rule in life..."always take the back roads!" On the back roads he found quaint shops, family restaurants, roadside markets, new places to explore, hunt or fish. Most of all he found new friends. Dad's favorite outdoor place to get away was our summer home at Sandy Pines. At the lake dad could be found sitting by the lake surrounded by friends. As a master craftsman dad loved creating, fixing things and building. When his body got tired from the demands of construction, he retired from Bouma-Benten and went to work at Gales True Value where he could be found explaining to customers the proper way to fix this and that. Everyone knew him as the "big guy" from Gales who was usually "grounded" from touching anything computer related. At home, when dad was not in his workshop in the barn, the ultimate foodie (even before it was cool) could be found cooking, reading cookbooks, or clipping recipes for friends and family to sample while watching the Food Network. For dad food was a festive occasion that was meant to be shared with those you love. He could be counted on to show up at every event with a few coolers full of his latest creations or old family favorites. That being said our entire family invites you to join us for a memorial luncheon to honor dad at Cross Community Church at 5625 Oakland Drive in Portage in Sunday October 6 from 2-4 pm. Come celebrate with us dads zest for life...but you are welcome to bring a dish to pass as the man with the coolers will join us in spirit only. In leu of flowers, our family requests donations can be made to Southwest Michigan Hospice.