James W.R. Minich

James Wallace Rainard Minich

August 29, 1939 - June 19, 2021

James (Jim) Wallace Rainard Minich of Fort Myers, Florida passed away peacefully on June 19, 2021, surrounded by his family. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Jim joined the Indiana Air National Guard and went on to serve his country in active duty for 38 years as Master Sergeant in the motor pool and later as a safety coordinator within his unit. He then went on to work as a government auditor for Magnavox, after which he and his wife Barb, owned and operated racing sanctioning body, ICAR Racing.

He married Barbara Dafforn Eshelman in 1981. He and Barb enjoyed spending time with their family that together includes 7 children, 13 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren and he was joyfully anticipating the birth of his fifth great-grandchild this fall. They moved to Florida full-time in 2005 where they created many special memories with family and friends.

Jim was a devout Catholic. He had a love for Jesus Christ and read anything that helped him better understand his faith. He was an upbeat, considerate, and kind person with a clever mind and a witty sense of humor. Everyone that knew him quickly learned that humor was always present in an encounter with him. Ten years ago, he suffered a major motorcycle accident, but he never let it get him down. Jim was a lifelong learner where he enjoyed reading about history, was an animal lover, enjoyed cars - fixing or driving them - and had the ability to fix almost anything.

He was the loving husband of 40 years to Barbara Minich; dearest father of Catherine Minich, Cindy Proulx, Christine (Alan) Gunkel, Steve Minich, Gregory Eshelman, Karen (Richard) Bohde, and the late Anthony (Cindy) Minich; beloved grandfather of Meredith, Natalie, Lathan, Keli’i, Christine (Justin), Hannah (Nick), Connor (Harper-Fiance), Elle, Mickyle, Madison, Myriah (Josh), Karma, and Eliza (Trentyn); son of the late Gladys and Forrest Minich.

Friends are invited to a visitation on Thursday June24, 2021 at from 6-8pm with a rosary at 7:30pm at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN 46805, with a mass of Christian burial to follow the next day at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 14623 Bluffton Road, Yoder, IN 46798, with a viewing one hour prior. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hope Hospice Development Department, 9470 Health Park Circle, Fort Myers, FL 33908; or St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 14623 Bluffton Road, Yoder, IN 46798.