James A. Michaels

Age 87, of Circle Pines, MN passed away on November 13, 2023. In his final days he was surrounded in love by his children and grandchildren, together with his wife Beatrice, the love of his life of 67 years, holding his hand until he was welcomed into heaven by his Savior, Jesus Christ, and infant son, Jonah.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Ferdinand and Helen Michaels; his step-father, Leonard O’Connor; sister Margaret Schack; brothers William and John; infant son, Jonah; grandson, Derek; son-in-law, Jeff; and daughter-in-law, Lisa.

Jim will be greatly missed by his loving wife, “Bea.” He is survived by his children, Laura Jonell, Mark (Sonia), Ellen (Jerry) Edwards, Patricia (Ken) Koty, James “Jimmy,” Janet (John) Hoenigschmidt; 22 cherished grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, December 7 AT ST. JOSEPH OF THE LAKES CATHOLIC CHURCH, 171 Elm St., Lino Lakes, MN. Visitation from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the church prior to Mass. A luncheon will follow Mass in the Great Hall at the church.

Because Jim graciously donated his body to The Anatomy Bequest Program at the University of Minnesota Medical School, a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at a later date with a private interment.

Jim was born September 28, 1936 to Ferdinand and Helen Michaels in Minneapolis, MN. He was the youngest of four children. Jim graduated from Minneapolis South High in 1955. After high school, he began working at Honeywell as a janitor. While at Honeywell, he attended Minneapolis Vocational Technical School in the evenings where he earned certificates of study in machine shop mathematics, blueprint reading, tool and die design, and drafting. He earned his journeyman and soon elevated to master tool and die maker at Honeywell. On October 27, 1956, he married his sweetheart “Bea” at St. Albert’s Catholic Church in Minneapolis. In 1967 Jim and Bea moved from Minneapolis to their home in Circle Pines where they raised their six children, and remained there until the time of Jim’s death. Jim worked at the University of Minnesota from 1970-1975 as a Senior Lab Technician. While working at the University of Minnesota, Jim started his own painting, wallpapering, and spray texturing business “Michaels Interior.” During this time, Jim worked a daytime shift at the U of M and worked evenings for his business. In 1975 he resigned from the University of Minnesota and committed full time as owner/operator of Michaels Interior until his retirement in 1996, leaving the business to his eldest son, Mark.

Jim was very active in the community; particularly at St. Joseph of the Lakes Catholic Church where he had been an active member since 1967. He was on the parish council, lead small group Bible studies, was a Eucharistic minister; and some forty years ago, he and Bea started “Donut Sunday” after Mass which still continues to this day. But Jim’s favorite role at church was teaching 2nd grade faith formation. He loved children and had a passion for the Holy Eucharist. He was excited about sharing his faith stories with the wide-eyed children. He believed that just as Jesus taught in parables, he would teach using his faith stories. Years later, many children would approach him and say, “I remember when you told the story about…” Preparing these precious children to receive their first Holy Communion filled his heart with joy beyond measure.

In addition to his service at church, Jim was also very active with the Centennial Area Community Food Shelf. For more than 30 years he served the community by volunteering three days a week picking up food from local grocery stores and delivering it to the food shelf. With each grocery pick up he would sort and shelve hundreds of pounds of food. In addition to picking up the food, Jim built storage shelves and helped construct an outbuilding to hold the overflow. It wasn’t until his health began to fail that he finally had to allow others do the work he used to do. On occasion he would make an appearance to see if he could be of assistance. He wanted so much to continue to contribute in the ways he did best.

In his younger years, Jim enjoyed fishing, camping, bowling, and playing cards. But one of his favorite activities was entering promotional contests. He entered pretty much every contest made aware to him. His most proud winnings included a trip to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, a Disney Cruise, and a spaghetti cookoff in Chicago, to name a few.

Jim loved sports. He was a huge Vikings fan, but he loved his Minnesota Gophers even more. While working for the University of Minnesota, he was a ticket holder to almost every Gopher sporting event. If you’ve ever seen Jim around town, or in church, you may have noticed his attire almost always included a Gopher logo.

Jim was a hard worker and a jack of all trades, willing to help anyone in need. If it was broken, Jim could fix it. Not once was a repairman called to the Michaels’ residence as long as “Mr. Fix-it” lived there. But… on November 13, just hours after he passed, a plumber was called to the house - the sewer backed up. LOL! True story.

Jim loved his dogs and his family, but above all he loved the Lord. Did I mention he loved dogs? He taught his dog to wait for grace to be offered, before allowing the dog to eat his kibble. “You know,” he would say, “God spelled backwards is dog.”

For Jim, faith was priority. He always looked for ways to bring people to Jesus. He believed miracles happen every day. He often spoke about the importance of being aware of the Holy Spirit in your life. He loved his children with all his heart and was proud of each of them. He was a devoted husband who saw beauty in his bride no matter her age.

Jim was a champion for the unborn. Although he lived a very frugal life, he made significant financial and in-kind donations to the Lakes Life Care Center to save babies and help new mothers in crisis. His children often asked what he would like for Father’s Day, and Jim’s request would be for them to make a donation to the Life Care Center. If it’s in your heart to make a charitable donation in Jim’s memory, we know how happy it would make him if that donation was made to the cause he was most passionate. Donations can be made through this link (https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-bin/Vanco_ver3.vps?appver3=Fi1giPL8kwX_Oe1AO50jRnGEm1K5xuWX34Yzs5JJ1xjHO3iVYxvvxhHjRfLOeq662EvVVAEjqawDomKT1pboufHeFy-vJmb8KdfZhpbjVfo=) or by calling the Lakes Life Care Center at: 651-464-4340.

Jim’s life was modest, but his legacy is immeasurable. The inheritance he left consists of intangible wealth – a toolbox of resources to build a solid house atop the foundation he set.