Mishawaka - James L. Mester "slipped the surly bonds of earth" and is now dancing "the skies on laughter-silvered wings." On Friday, November 19, 2021, Jim was taken to his real and forever home with his Savior, Jesus Christ.

He made his home for the past 43 years on Loughlin Dr., in Mishawaka with his wife, Suzy, who survives him. They had recently celebrated their wedding anniversary on October 27, thanking God for 48 beautiful years--they were richly blessed.

One of 3 children, Jim was born on February 11, 1950, to John and Martha Mester. Jim's parents preceded him in death, as well as his sister Bev (Cal) Gilvin. Jim is survived by his sister, Karin (Harvey) Hatfield, his three children, Jeny (Josh) Martin, John (Christine) Mester and Jayme (Scott) Reichanadter and his 11 dearly loved grandchildren, Noah, Bronwen, Annabelle, Oliver, Josiah, Madelyn, Chloe, Sparrow, River, Sequoia and Willow and many very special nieces, nephews and cousins.

As a Boy Scout, Jim loved camping out in the woods with his troupe and doing service projects--especially at his family's church, where his mom was the secretary. He attended Navarre Grade School and Washington High School in South Bend, graduating in 1968. He graduated Suma Cum Laude from Bethel University, earning a B.A. in Management of Human Resources in 1990 and earning a Master of Liberal Studies in 2007 from Indiana University. Jim worked for many years in the business world, owning his own business for 17 years. For the past 23 years he worked for Penn Harris Madison School Corp., as a bus driver, 18 of which were for his beloved "Special Needs" students.

He was incredibly inventive and creative, making gadgets that flew and devices that worked, like a radio, and his own version of a telephone, with wires that were shot across the yards of his neighbors and through the trees to his best friend's house a block away...doing it with a bow and arrow! When he was 14 he challenged a friend to join him in a 24 hr., non-stop bike riding marathon on the sidewalks around his neighborhood. When neighbors found out what the boys were doing they entered the fun and would run along side them handing over water and sandwiches--one made with spaghetti and two slices of bread to keep them going. Someone called the South Bend Tribune and the next day Jim's picture and the story appeared.

Jim would ride his bike to the airport and spend his summer days watching the planes come and go and talk to the mechanics who worked in the hangers. Jim loved flying and earned his private pilot's license, soloing at 16. He joined the U.S. Army in 1968, and was in officer candidate school, preparing to fly helicopters in Vietnam. Miraculously his orders were changed and he was sent instead to Germany where he served in radio communications until his honorable discharge in 1970. He kept careful track of all the men from his unit in flight school who were killed in Vietnam and looked for their names on "The Wall" when he took his young family to Washington D.C. in 1982.  He was a true patriot and counted it an honor and a privilege to be an American, fiercely holding as dear what a Constitutional Republic stood for.

Jim was a very kind, generous, quiet, introspective man, expressing his many talents through photography, painting, gardening and carpentry. He sketched or painted many a dear face and collected original art just for the enjoyment of it. Oh how he loved vivid color!

Four months after Jim and Suzy married, they met Jesus, Who became the Rock on which they built their home and family. The Bible and its unshakable Truths permeated the atmosphere of Jim's home. His integrity, work ethic and respect for what was sacred was deeply embedded in his heart as he quietly walked with his Savior.

He led in their family altar every evening, reading from the Children's Storybook Bible when the kids were little, quizzing the kids on their memorized verses and praying for his family and their needs, for his church family and especially for the leaders of his country. He was a faithful prayer warrior and a man who trusted God with every area of his life. Jim believed God meant it when He said, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."

Prov. 3:5,6