Jim Molnar

Some people ploddingly push through life, on a slow march to their destinations. Jim Molnar certainly wasn't one of them. Jim was a wonderful man, who lived a wonderful life, a life so full of family, friendship, and his share of fun, as well. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, but most of all, Jim was a man who enjoyed his life, and enjoyed sharing it even more.

Jim's story began on a warm spring day in 1923, in the bustling city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Those were such exciting times in this country, as the Roaring 20s really began to roar, and Prohibition was the law of the land. There was much to celebrate in 1923, especially for Nicholas and Julia (Szekely) Molnar, who celebrated the birth of a baby boy on April 30, a son they named James Michael Molnar.

James was the youngest of four children in the family's Westside home near Goose Alley, joining older siblings Margaret, Mickey and Irene. His parents were Hungarian immigrants, and his father worked for the Gas Company in Grand Rapids, while his mother cared for her home and family.

Jim attended Harrison Park Elementary School, and later Union High School, where he was a star athlete in a number of sports, including baseball and wrestling, and he even finished as runner-up in the state championship in wrestling. He also played fast pitch softball for the Crystal Flash team.

Jim quit school in 1941 to help support his family, and went to work for the Gas Company with his dad. His career there would be interrupted by his country's call of duty, and he was drafted in the U.S. Army after World War II broke out.

Jim proudly answered the call, and was stationed in Texas, where he was trained as a medic. The Army wanted to send him to medical school, but Jim's father died while he was in the service, so after the war he needed to return home to help support his mother.

Back in his hometown, Jim went back to work at the Gas Company for a brief while, before finding a good job with Oliver Products, which trained him to become a printer.

One day Jim attended a birthday party for a friend, where he met a beautiful young woman named Adrianna Walters, and after getting acquainted, they soon began dating. Their first date was a night of bowling at Wengers Lanes on Leonard Street NW. The two dated for over a year, and eventually the happy couple was married, on June 14, 1947, on Flag Day. It was a small ceremony with family, followed by a wonderful honeymoon to Niagara Falls.

The newlyweds moved into an apartment over Jim's mom's home on Arianna, and lived there for several years. Jim's job at Oliver Products provided well for his new bride, and soon enough, his growing family, too. The couple's first child, son Tom, was born September 17, 1953, while living on Arianna. Their family now bigger, they built a home at 1737 Eighth St. NW in Grand Rapids, where they would form so many fond memories, and where they lived the rest of their lives. Jim and Ada also celebrated the births of son Danny, on September 1, 1957, and daughter Sue, born December 1, 1961, rounding out the happy family.

And what a happy family it was. They did so much together, and took many memorable vacations over the years, to Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Gettysburg, and all over the South. It was also a family tradition to buy some fireworks on the way home from their travels.

Jim was a devoted husband and father, and continued his love for sports throughout his life, too, getting his family involved. Jim coached Little League baseball for many years, sometimes two teams at a time. He enjoyed watching his son Dan's wrestling matches at Union High School. He also loved to golf and bowl, and did plenty of both well into his 70s. He golfed on a number of golf leagues and often with his son Dan, his golfing buddy. They would hit the links every weekend they could, and Jim played most of the courses in the city over the years. He also bowled in a number of leagues, too, until his health declined later in life.

Jim was a true sports nut, and enjoyed watching NASCAR, the Tigers and Red Wings on TV, or going to the Berlin Raceway for events with his son Tom.

Jim had other loves, of course, as the kind of man who found enjoyment in just about everything he ever did. He enjoyed the oldies music like Sinatra and Bing Crosby, and liked watching Lawrence Welk and M.A.S.H. on TV, too. He was a proud member of American Legion Valley City Post, where he served as post commander and Bingo chairman, too.

And the man loved to eat, too! He especially loved the traditional Hungarian dishes his mom used to make, like Hungarian Chicken Paprikash (Galuska), goulash, Kolbasz or Hurka, Hungarian sausages. In his family years he was a Sunday afternoon Grillmaster, and loved firing up some hotdogs, burgers or chicken on the grill. Later in life during the summer months he and Ada could be found at their daughter-in-laws (Darlene) ice cream shop having lunch and a desert several times a week.

Most of all, Jim enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his beloved Ada. They did so much together, especially after he retired in 1988, after 42 years at Oliver Products. They went to Hawaii for their 35th wedding anniversary, and made plenty of trips to Michigan's casinos together, where Jim loved to play the slots. Jim also loved spending time with his granddaughters, though never often enough, as they lived out of town.

Jim's health declined later in life, as he suffered from advancing emphysema, requiring him to be on oxygen from time to time. His condition also affected his kidneys, and he needed dialysis, too. As his health worsened through the years, he began spending more time in the hospital than out of it. His loving family visited him every day at Kent Community Hospital, though eventually, it was decided that no more treatments were necessary. Jim sadly died Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at 11:10 in the morning.

Jim was a wonderful man, who lived a wonderful life, a life so full of family, fun and friendship. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to so many of us. Most of all, Jim was a man who that knew life was meant to be enjoyed, and also shared. We're so lucky to have shared it with him. He will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Ada Molnar; his children, Tom and Susan Molnar, Danny and Darlene Molnar, Sue and Jeff Seitz; his granddaughters, Brittney Seitz and Ruthann Reikes; several nieces and nephews and many friends. A service to celebrate Jim's life will be held at St. John's Church, 1934 Bridge St. NW on Friday morning at 11:00 AM with Rev. Bill Lyons officiating. Friends and relatives may meet his family at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM and at church on Friday from 10 - 11 AM. To read more about Jim's life, to share your own memory of him and to sign his guestbook visit his web page at www.lifestorynet.com