Gerald James "Jim" Preusz passed away peacefully in his sleep in the
morning hours of May 30. An avid cook, he loved food and preparing and
sharing it with others. Jim also loved to play golf and he
enjoyed watching the Sunday Golf tournaments from the comfort of his couch
almost as much as playing it. From that couch, he also enjoyed watching
Westerns, as that was the ONLY channel ever on, besides the channel
broadcasting the golf tournaments!
From 1966 to 1969, Jim proudly served the country he loved so dear
with two tours in Vietnam. He was awarded several medals - including the
Purple Heart. He loved to talk about his time in Vietnam, and he loved
the Vietnamese people and culture as well, and took pride in his ability
to understand spoken Vietnamese. He wore his Vietnam
Veteran hat with great pride, and on a recent trip to Washington
D.C., accompanied by his dad, Gerald L.Preusz, Jim experienced
handshakes, hugs, and photo-ops from fellow Americans who were so
grateful for his service. That fact, mixed with his undying devotion to
his country, was a moving experience for Jim that brought him to tears on
many occasions.
With his deep voice, Jim was also known for 'lovingly' harrassing his
siblings and many, many nieces and nephews through the years with
chases and tickles that always ended in a big heap of screams and
laughter. "Uncle Jim, Jimmy, or Zimmy," will always be remembered by even
his great nieces and nephews as the guy who would, "Catch you and eat your
belly, with a deep 'Fee Fy Fo Fum...'" He was a big practical joker and
loved to 'torture' his sisters with them on a regular basis.
Jim will be remembered for the love in his heart, the love for his
family, and the love for his country. He will be sadly missed by his
surviving family - his father and step-mother, Gerald L. Preusz and Sandra
Banta Preusz; his brothers Stephen L. Preusz and his wife
Dottie, Samuel J. Preusz and his wife Kathy; his sisters Sharon
Preusz-Spahr, Debra Preusz Ashmore and her husband Randall Ashmore, Tina
Preusz, and Vanessa Parrish. He is also survived by a daughter and three
grandchildren, and many, MANY nieces and nephews as well as great-nieces
and nephews who knew him and loved him. He is preceded in death by his
mother, Rose Marie Yerkes.



Funeral services will be held at Noon Friday, June 1, 2012 at Goodwin Funeral Home with Rev. Rick Grant officiating. Burial will follow in the Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may call from 10:00 a.m. until service time on Friday. Online condolences may be made at www.goodwinfamilyfh.com