James L. Westness

James Lumir Westness, 74, of Dakota, Minnesota, died peacefully on Friday, September 12, 2014 at the Golden Living Center in La Crescent, MN surrounded by his family. He was born, the youngest of 14 children, on February 20, 1940 in in La Crosse, WI to Sedor and Margaret (Ledman) Westness. Jim loved to be on the water or looking out at the water, especially the Mississippi River near La Crosse, where he grew up. He was a great fisherman , card player and talker. Oh, how he loved to talk and talk and talk. He enjoyed sports and played many years of Edgerton, WI city league basketball and slow pitch while raising his family. He spent his working years with General Motors being elected District Committee Man for UAW Janesville in 1972 and Shop Chairman in 1978. He was then promoted to the international union office in Detroit, MI in 1983. He lived in Harrow, Ontario, Canada on Lake Erie for nine years until his retirement in 1993. He then moved to Dakota, MN and built his retirement home on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
He is survived by his devoted wife Margaret ‘Muggs’ of Dakota, MN, his two daughters from his marriage to Helen (Sjolander) Brown, Daphne (Kendall) Marquardt of Edgerton, WI and Denise (David) Botz of Little Chute, WI, grandchildren Kassandra (Jeremy), Denan, Colin, Noah (Sarah), Clarissa, Kira, Zach, Issac, Japheth, Rudy, Turner and Abbie, great grandchild Eden. He is further survived by a sister Dorothy Caldwell of Clatskanie, OR, a niece Mary Williams of Genoa, WI – who was like a sister to him – along with step-children and many other nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, six brothers and six sisters.
A memorial gathering for family and friends will be held at the Schumacher – Kish Funeral & Cremation Services, 200 West Ave. S., La Crosse on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 from 5-7 PM and again on Wednesday from 10 AM until 11 AM. A Time of Sharing and Remembrance will be held at 11:00 AM.