James (Jim) Calvin Wilkins

FUNERAL SERVICES: Graveside service will be held at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, June 19, 2010 at Greenwood Cemetery in Park Rapids, MN. INTERMENT: Wilkins family plot in the Greenwood Cemetery, Park Rapids, MN. SURVIVORS: his wife, Carol, three children, his sister Shirley (Mel) Ream, and seven grandchildren. JIM WILKINSFebruary 21, 1923 ~ November 8, 2008 James (Jim) Calvin Wilkins, age 85, was born Feb. 21, 1923 in Park Rapids, MN and spent his formative years there, passed away peacefully Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008 in Renton, Wash. with his loving family and childhood sweetheart and wife of 63 years, Carol (Sanford) Wilkins, by his side. Jim, the oldest of four children, was born to James Wilkins and Mary Ellen (Groshong) Wilkins in a house on the northern edge of Park Rapids on Fish Hook River, a river he spent much of his childhood years swimming, rafting, skating, and fishing on. Jim married his childhood sweetheart and best friend Carol Sanford in Renton, Wash., March 21, 1945 at the Renton Lutheran Church. When Jim and Carol married it was announced that the two largest pioneering families in Park Rapids were joining. They made their home in Renton. Jim and Carol raised three children: James Craig Wilkins of Olympia, Wash., Mary Sue (John) Fickes of Moses Lake, Wash., and Judy Ann (Mike) Schreiner of Kent, Wash. For most of his adult life, Jim was a commercial and residential carpenter. He built eight homes in the greater Renton area, not including two homes he built for his family. He also helped to build many apartments in the Seattle area. From 1943 to 1945 he served in the Merchant Marines during World War II. Jim"s passion was gardening, making wooden toys for his grandchildren, drawing cartoons, making homemade greeting cards, playing the harmonica and piano, and doting on his wife Carol. He will be remembered for his artistic talent, his way with words, and his unending love for his family and friends. Jim is survived by his wife, Carol, three children, his sister Shirley (Mel) Ream, and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father James Wilkins, his mother Mary Ellen (Groshong) Wilkins, his brother Ted (Dolly) Wilkins, and his sister Loretta (Chuck) Dick. Jim will be buried in the Wilkins family plot in the Park Rapids Cemetery. A graveside service in Park Rapids will follow in the spring.