James Krukemeyer's Obituary
James William Krukemeyer, born on March 6, 1954, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the age of 70, in the loving arms of his family.
After a 2 year and 7 month battle with small cell lung cancer, fought with grace and dignity every step of the way, we had to let him go and share our tearful goodbyes.
A life well-lived. 49 years with his wife, Heidi Marie Krukemeyer, the loves of each other's lives. His family that he loved and was so very proud of: his two loving daughters, Katy Rose Zander and Amy Marie Dustoor, his loving sons in law, Levi Wayne Zander and Nauzad Manek Dustoor, and his most adored and loving grandchildren, Trent Levi and Lily Joanna Zander, Zara Marie and Zoe James Dustoor. He was also loved by siblings, nieces, nephews, extended family and many friends,along with his best buddies Joni and Sebby.
Jim was a nurse, calm and comforting to so many patients over the years, and a beloved coworker who kept the mood light, made people laugh and enjoy being at work. He made life better for everyone in the hospital, patients and staff alike. His civility lives on in each coworker lucky enough to have worked beside him. Through his example, his professionalism, ethics, respect for colleagues and courteous interactions with patients and their families live on. His patients were always cared for with dignity and comfort.
Jim loved his family so very much. When his treatment options allowed him to continue on,
he said “I get to stay with you guys a little longer”, and that was one of the only times we saw tears come to his eyes. When scans showed yet another issue to deal with, he said to Heidi that he had waited to share this devastating news because he just wasn’t ready to break her heart again. The family that he and Heidi created together meant everything to him. To them, he was the one with quiet strength, an endless love of learning and nature, the best sense of humor and always calm under pressure. As a father, he radiated with pride in his two girls and the women and mothers they have become. All of this made it so very hard for him to have to say goodbye, and so hard for us, too. His grandchildren all fascinated him, made him laugh, and just made him so very happy. Being Grampa and Popsy to these 4 wonderful humans was one of his favorite roles in life.
One of Jim’s mottos was “live simply and take great vacations”. Jim was a road warrior and loved doing lots of vacation drives, including two solo cross country drives (Heidi was in the car with him, but he did ALL the driving!). He would visit his children, his grandchildren, relatives, national parks and so many amazing places. Those travel adventures made his life worth living and brought him great joy. Instilling that love of travel into his daughters was also important to him, and he definitely accomplished that!
He is missed dearly, and will live on in each of us. Rest now in peace our most beloved husband, father, father-in-law, Grampa/Popsy, brother, uncle, cousin and friend.
A celebration of Jim’s 70 years of life will be held on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at the Ledgewood Clubhouse, 17761 Falling Water Road, Strongsville, OH, in an open house format from 3:00-6:00 pm.
An informal memorial service will begin at 3:30 p.m.
His family requests donations be made to:The Gathering Place (https://touchedbycancer.org/donate)
and the American Institute of Cancer Research (https://www.aicr.org/)
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