James Allen Heuer
January 14, 1935 – October 31, 2024
Jim Heuer, age 89 of Howard Lake passed away on Thursday, October 31st at The Lodge Assisted Living Facility in Howard Lake, MN after a short battle with leukemia. He was a lifelong member of the American Legion and a proud United States citizen.
Jim was born January 14, 1935, to William and Selma (Rosenberg) Heuer in Bertha, MN. He was the fifth of eight children, with three sisters and four brothers. Jim grew up on the family farm two-and-a-half miles south of Bertha.
Jim served in the United States Army from December 1954 to September of 1956. His occupation was listed as weather observer; however, his mathematics skills were also called into play in his service. After leaving the service, Jim became a law enforcement officer serving Todd County, the City of Wadena and eventually Renville County, all in Minnesota.
Jim was a proud father of four boys with his first wife, Patricia, living and raising the boys in Long Prairie and Wadena. Jim later met Betty Gerdes and they were wed on February 11, 1984 in Hector. After a few years in Hector, they chose to relocate to Apache Junction, AZ. They both worked at Tri-Rentals in Phoenix until their retirement. They lived a total of eighteen years in Arizona before deciding to move back to Minnesota and found a new home in Osakis. Both Jim and Betty were active members of the Osakis Lutheran Church. In early 2020, a health concern brought the need for him to be closer to family and he relocated to The Lodge Assisted Living facility in Howard Lake, MN.
Jim loved to garden, fish, hunt and golf with his extended family. A card shark until the very end, he could look at a cribbage hand and know the score of all hands before his opponents could add only their own. Jim was an avid follower of local sports teams and supported his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in their activities whenever possible. Upon relocating to Howard Lake, Jim joined the St John’s Lutheran church family and quickly became a beloved member. He sang in the choir and regularly read the scripture readings for Sunday services. He was also unofficially designated as the social director of the assisted living facility. In his retirement, Jim also volunteered at Love INC (a local non-profit) in Howard Lake several days a week. Jim created “family” wherever he went in his later years.
Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; son William (Billy) Heuer; stepson Thomas Cummens; his parents; brothers Don and Jerry; sisters Mona and Carolyn; ex-wife Patricia Heuer.
Jim is survived by sons; James (Patty) Heuer, Carey (Missy) Heuer, Patrick (Michelle) Heuer; daughter-in-law Debra Heuer; four stepchildren Richard (Denise) Cummens, Donna (Jerry) Strobel, Pattie (Don) Miller, Lori (Mark) Rath, Gregory (Amanda) Cummens; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; sister and brothers Maxine, Wally and Chuck. He is also survived by a plethora of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 11 AM with a visitation one hour prior to the service at St John’s Lutheran Church, Howard Lake, MN. A lunch will be served following the service. Inurnment will take place at Ft Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis in the spring. The service will be broadcast on the St John’s Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/stjohnshowardlake
Memorials are preferred to the Organ Project at St John’s Lutheran Church, PO Box 307, Howard Lake, MN 55349.