James Greaves Sr., 83, of Gladwin, passed away on Friday, May 6, 2022.
He was born on January 25, 1939, the son of Earl and Edith (Cassiday) Greaves in Flint. On April 18, 1959, he was united in marriage to Patricia Cook at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Gladwin. Jim and Pat were proud to raise their brood of four. Jim beamed when he was with his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He had a special bond with each and every one.
Many great memories with his family were made in Grand Marais, where Jim and Pat built a cabin on the shores of Lake Superior. Jim loved picking blueberries, riding the trails, and entertaining his family and friends.
Although Jim adored family time, he loved work. He was driven and thrived on doing repairs. He was a valued employee wherever he was – he was full of mechanical knowledge. If he needed a part that was unavailable during a repair, he would just make it. He worked as a foreman for Robinson Industries, and after retirement, he would still answer calls to help repair machines – a true testament to his incomparable knowledge and work ethic.
Jim also owned and operated Jim Greaves Trucking, which he built from the ground up to become a highly trusted and respected company, like Jim. Jim enjoyed his work so much, after Mike took over the business, he still went to work every day to help where he could: crushing gravel, doing repairs, and enjoying the environment he created.
Jim was passionate about antique cars and was quite proud of the 34 Ford Coupe that he completely restored. He took that Coupe to car shows and was excited to win “Best of Show” at St. Ignace Car Show. Car show days were fun but not nearly as exciting as when November 15throlled around. After an eventful day of hunting, Jim’s family would gather to enjoy Pat’s famous Chop Suey, tell stories, and show off their trophy bucks from the day. No matter how big the trophies or how adventurous the stories were, Jim cherished family time the most.
If you knew Jim, you knew about his sweet tooth. He ended every night with an overloaded bowl of ice cream, and he especially loved his son Mike’s homemade ice cream. He was a quiet man with a big heart.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 63 years: Patricia Greaves; children: James Jr. (Deborah) Greaves, Michael (Pam) Greaves, Susan (Jamie) Zelt, and David (Rhonda) Greaves; grandchildren: Jeffrey (Fiance: Laken), Joseph (Jordan), Kurtis (Kristen), Bradley (Kendra), Kelly (Tyler), Krysta (Fiance: Justin), Shealyn, Harvey, Jamie (Significant other: Zack), Ryan (Sarah), and Casey; great-grandchildren: Paisley, Kelsie, Kolten, Kamren, Hunter, Lauren, Jayden, Bryson, Lukas, Clayton, Easton, Grace, Aiden, Austen, Archer, Holden, and one more on the way; sister: Sharon (Floyd) Davis; sisters-in-law: Mary Ann (Dick) Fassett and Kathy (Dick) Cassiday; brother-in-law: Jim (Marilyn) Cook; along with several nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents and son: Robert Scott.
Funeral Mass will be conducted by Father David Parsch on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 11:00 A.M. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Gladwin. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, from 4-8:00 P.M. at Hall-Kokotovich Funeral Home, Gladwin. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made according to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital. Arrangements are in the care of Hall-Kokotovich Funeral Home. www.hallkokotovichfuneralhome.com
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of James Greaves Sr., please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
