James E. Tazelaar

James, or Jim as he is known to family and friends, was born in Muskegon, Michigan on October 20, 1920. He was the fifth of 8 children born to Jacob and Mabel (Sears) Tazelaar. The children were Margie, Warren, Ernest, Harold, James, Esther, Janet, and Fred. Jim learned early that everyone worked to help support the family and at the age of 9 was already doing his part in the celery flats and had a newspaper route. During the 1930s the entire country was in a depression and everyone had to work if they could. Jim found jobs usually picking and processing fruit and vegetables while he was young. When Jim was in the 11th grade at Muskegon High School his father left home. His older siblings were out in the world with their own families and he quit school to find full time work to take care of his family. He became an apprentice bricklayer and mason. Jim had many stories of the various buildings in Muskegon on which he laid brick including Hackley Hospital, Muskegon High School, and the County Building among others. When he was 20 he was at a worksite in Muskegon Heights and came across a pretty young lady clerk named Thelma Sandy in the 5 and dime store. Thelma and Jim were soon inseparable, going to the youth group at First Christian Church, going to dances, and roller skating. After the attack on Pearl Harbor things got pretty serious for everyone in the country. Jim and Thelma got married on December 18, 1941. Later in 1942 their first child, Arloa Jean came along. Jim decided it was time for him to join the war effort and joined the Navy. Thelma went with him to San Diego for a time and Grandma Sandy took care of little Arloa. When Jim got shipped out to Hawaii and then on to the Philippines as a Seabee, Thelma returned to Muskegon and did her part working and supporting the war effort. Jim came home safely in 1945 and he and Thelma were blessed with their second child, Jimmy, in 1946. Jim and Thelma kept very busy supporting their young family. Jim worked at the Norge Plant, the papermill, and Baker Furniture while Thelma held positions as bookkeeper for an insurance company, a city bus driver, and a store clerk. Late in the 40s they decided to purchase a gas station on Getty Street and opened Tazelaars Gas Station. They ran that for about 5 years into the early 50s. Jim and Thelma were easy to like and what ever crazy ideas Thelma could come up with Jim always went along. They had many friends and liked to entertain. They had a hi-fi stereo and many records, a player piano with many piano rolls, and loved to have card parties. Life was pretty good in those days. Their daughter Arloa got married to Dennis Schlueter in spring 1959 and the first grandchild Denise was born later that year. Jim took his new son-in-law under his wing and taught him construction and bricklaying. They worked together on many jobs. In 1962 the entire family, Jim and his wife Thelma, their son Jimmy, daughter Arloa along with her husband and baby decided to move to Denver, Colorado for work. They spent about a year there but really missed Michigan and their family and friends so came back home. About that time Jimmy was restless and wanted to quit school and join the military. He joined the Army a few months before turning 18. In June 1966 Jimmy was killed in Vietnam and it would change things forever for Jim and Thelma. They made it a priority to support the war effort and all of the soldiers and veterans. They threw dance parties, sent out hundreds of goodie boxes, and gained lifelong friends of some of these young men. Arloa, who had divorced and remarried to Joe Bartos, gave them two more granddaughters, Paula in 1966 and Debbie in 1968. She also supported the efforts of her parents in providing the soldiers with as much fun and comfort as possible. As part of the patriotism that the family felt Jim became a lifetime member of both DAV Post 103 (which had been named after their son James A Tazelaar and later combined with Post 11 and became the Tazelaar-Wood Post) and VFW Post 7729. Thelma got involved in both of those auxiliaries and also got very involved in the Gold Star Mothers, even to the point of becoming National President one year. Jim and Thelma used some of the life insurance money from the Army that they got when Jimmy was killed to buy a piece of property up north in White Cloud near Minnie Pond. In 1969 they purchased the little country store in that area and renamed it Mena Creek Store after the lovely creek that ran through their property. Jim continued to work as a sheet metal worker until he retired in 1978 and then went to work in the store full time. He became famous for his homemade pickled bologna. They used the store and the contacts they gained there to provide support to many people in need. They had ledger books for charge accounts for those on limited incomes. They gave food when someone was in desperate need. They even bartered groceries for goods and services with local residents when it was needed. They also took on guardianship of several handicapped men in the area, one at a time, when they learned that they had no one to help or were being taken advantage of. One gentleman who had been a WWII solder and had a head injury with brain damage and a plate in his head actually came to live with them. They made sure that these individuals had places to stay that were safe, they had heat, electricity, medical care, and food to eat. Jim and Thelma were not only the local store keepers but caring individuals that would put themselves out to make sure that others were well taken care of. In 1984 they finally retired and sold the store. Jim found his dream farm where there were numerous black walnut trees and about 25 acres of land. They bought it and began to small time farm. They had a huge garden of approximately acre and then would can and preserve their harvest. They harvested and sold the walnuts that their trees produced. They had a Shetland pony named Misty and took in every stray dog and cat that came along. Life was good. In 1993 Jim beat a scare with prostate cancer, but he lost his beloved Thelma the following spring. Jim carried on, though not with as much zest for life. He gained some new interests such as going to the casino and playing the nickel slot machines. He still cherished time with his family and came to every holiday, picnic, and birthday event. He saw the birth of 5 great grandsons from his granddaughter Paula and her husband Don. When Jim had a stroke and was left with a debilitating right-sided weakness in 2004 he did not get depressed, but carried on stoically. He went through rehab and then moved into the Hume Home. He spent the last 6 years there making friends and was a favorite of the staff. One of his proudest moments was when the residents voted him the Valentine King one year. He was especially proud when his special needs great grandson drew a chalk drawing on the porch sidewalk of his entire family and Jim protected it for months. Jims family visited him regularly and took him out for his favorite dinner of BBQ ribs or a hot fudge sundae. He developed cancer late in 2009 and gracefully succumbed to it on December 1, 2010. Jim will always be remembered as a generous, opinionated, honest, and hardworking man. He was well loved and loved well. He will be missed. TAZELAAR, MR. JAMES EDWARD Muskegon Mr. James E. Tazelaar, age 90, died Wednesday, December 1, 2010. He was born in Muskegon, MI on October 20, 1920 to Jacob & Mabel (Sears) Tazelaar and married the former Thelma Sandy on December 18, 1941. Mr Tazelaar had served his country in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He had owned the Mena Creek Grocery Store in White Cloud for 18 years prior to retiring in 1984. He was a life member of the D.A.V. Post #11 and V.F.W. Post #7729. He enjoyed going to the casino and bingo. SURVIVORS Daughter, Arloa (Joe) Bartos of Muskegon; 3 granddaughters, Denise (Roy) Burton of White Cloud, Paula (Don) Schohl of Grand Rapids, Debra Bartos of Muskegon; 5 great grandsons, Justin, Andrew, Brandon, Gideon, and Kevin Schohl; brother, Fred Tazelaar of Muskegon; 2 sisters, Margie Kooiman, Esther (Don) Schultz, both of Muskegon. He was preceded in death by his wife, Thelma; and by his sons, James, Thomas. SERVICE Monday, December 6, 2010, 3:00 PM at the Clock Chapel - Muskegon with Rev. Lowell Wood officiating. Interment at Mona View Cemetery. VISITATION Monday, 2-3 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. MEMORIAL: American Cancer Society.