James "Jim" Edward Reimer

On Saturday, December 16, James Edward Reimer, affectionately known as Jim, Jimmy, The Jimster, Jimbo, and his most cherished name, Dad, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. Born January 22, 1976, in Painesville, OH, Jim was the son of Jack and Judith Reimer. He was raised by Judy, in Mentor, OH, and spent his childhood splashing along the shores of Lake Erie, riding bikes, building snow forts and watching his favorite show, MacGyver. Jim’s summers were full of freedom with weekends spent at the family’s summer cottage in Conneaut Lake Park, PA. There, he enjoyed going to the arcade, playing countless free games of putt-putt courtesy of his grandpap who ran the putt-putt stand and riding park rides, from dawn until dusk, with his ride pass and his childhood best friend, Brian.

As a teenager, Jim enjoyed downhill skiing and taking regular road trips with his sister, Keke, and their friends to attend concerts, visit family or just have an adventure. Growing up, he was considered the 7th child of the Stadler family, Conneaut Lake neighbors, and was a regular guest at their dinner table and on summer camping vacations to the shore. Between adventures, Jim worked every summer through college, alongside his sisters and mom, at their neighbor’s plant nursery.

Jim was a 1994 graduate of Mentor High School and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Technology and Master of Arts in Teaching from Kent State in Ohio.

In 2000, Jim moved to Wisconsin to start a family and his career. For decades, Jim shared his love of the industrial arts with hundreds of children as a middle school teacher in both Oshkosh and Appleton, WI. He was proud to serve as the faculty advisor for the Robotics team in Oshkosh, and he got a kick out of regularly serving as a chaperone at school dances. While in WI, Jim made deep and lasting friendships. His deepest friendship was with his buddy Dave, a fellow tech ed teacher. Starting in 2010, and until last week, Jim and Dave had a standing weekly Wednesday night dinner. Over the past 13 years and through all of life’s ups & downs, Dave and Jim supported each other and made one another laugh every Wednesday evening. Jim was known and loved for his quick wit, calm demeanor, crazy t-shirts, funky car and kind spirit. He never met a stranger, made lifelong friends and was always there with a helping hand or just to lend an ear.

Known for his beautiful woodwork, in 2022, Jim officially started his own business, Reimer Originals. On recent weekends, he could be found selling his goods at local craft fairs. That said, Jim created and shared his work freely – more often not accepting any payment at all. He was fulfilled in knowing that people loved and used his functional art.

With all the roles Jim held, he loved being a dad the most. He is survived by his two children, Theodore James and Grace Evelyn. Jim was admired by his family and friends for putting the responsibility of raising his children above all else. He handled life with humor and made sure his kids always knew they were loved. Jim was exceedingly proud of both Ted, who graduated from Carthage this December and Grace, who is a junior at Loyola. Jim is also survived by sisters, Katherine R. Christenson (Tim), Bethany LaMarco (Dominic), and Paul Reimer along with nieces and nephews.

Predeceased by his mom, Judy, Jim worked selflessly alongside his sisters, during the pandemic, to provide in-home hospice care for their mother. Jim leaves a legacy of understanding, kindness and belly-aching laughter. His presence will be profoundly missed, but his memory will continue to be a beacon of warmth and joy for all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Ted and Grace invite you to a Celebration of Life reception on January 3, 2024, from 3pm – 6pm, at the Waverly Beach Bar & Grill, N8770 Fire Lane 1, Menasha, WI. There will be time of sharing in the last half hour, and although Jim did not drink, he greatly enjoyed happy hour and would hope that you come as you are.

In lieu of flowers, Ted and Grace ask that you consider making a donation towards helping with funding their educations.

For friends and family in Ohio, there will be a celebration of life scheduled sometime in the spring or summer of 2024. Details will be updated as they become available.