James “Jim” E. Nordheim

Monday, July 1, 2019 5:55 pm

James “Jim” E. Nordheim, 70, of Decorah, died Monday, June 24, 2019, at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah. Funeral services were Monday, July 1, at 11 a.m., at Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waterville, with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating. Friends called from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon. Honorary casketbearers are the staff at Equity Livestock and the Camp Lacupolis crew. Casket bearers are Randy and Michael Nordheim, Jerry Blomme, Stan Brandt, Jerry Bulman, Steve Henning, Roger Larson and Dan Treangen. Online condolences may be left at martinfunerals.com.

James Edward Nordheim was born Sept. 30, 1948, in Decorah, the son of Curtis and Eileen (Nicholson) Nordheim. In 1966, he graduated from Decorah High School and went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in economics and psychology from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Jim married Julie Faldet May 29, 1970, at the Lutheran church in Calmar. Jim loved working with cattle almost as much as he loved his family. Until 1972, he worked with his dad at Nordheim Livestock and then became farm manager for Tom White Dairy Cattle which later became the Heifer Exchange. In 2010, Jim began working at Northeast Iowa Sales Commission, now Equity Livestock, in Waukon, where he remained until his death. In 2011, he and Julie moved to rural Decorah.

Jim loved being out on the Mississippi with Julie and the family, either boating, fishing, or (in his younger years) waterskiing; he was very proud of his boat he had for 30 years. As devoted as he was to his cattle, Jim never missed his kids’ or grandkids’ school activities. He was also a big NASCAR and Iowa Hawkeye fan and last September, he was able to go to a game at Kinnick Stadium. As an organized hoarder, Jim was a resourceful tinkerer and spent time in his “fixin’ garage” inventing things. He liked to bowl and do crossword puzzles, which he cut out from newspapers and kept in a file near his bed to work on, and enjoyed working on his lawn as well.

He is survived by his wife, Julie; his three children: Amanda (Jay) McGeough, Aaron Nordheim and Amy (James) Johnson; grandchildren: Caleb Nordheim, Kristen and Mason McGeough, and Ella, Finley and Cooper Johnson; his mother, Eileen Nordheim; two brothers, Randy (Patty) and Michael Nordheim; his sister, Laurel Nordheim; mother-in-law, Phyllis Faldet; sisters-in-law, Linda (Stan) Brandt and Nadine (Roger) Larson; and several nieces and nephews.

Jim was preceded in death by his father, Curtis; an infant brother, Neil; father-in-law, Derbin Faldet.