February 27, 2024, with his family by his side.

He was born in Winton, MN, on May 2, 1952, to Arthur and Wilma (Karasti) Gardner.

James attended Ely Memorial High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1973. He then worked at Mintac, retiring in 2001. A couple years after retirement, he decided the local fish population wouldn’t survive if he didn’t find something else to do with his time, so he re-entered the workforce and spent another 11 years at Como Oil, finally retiring for good in 2014.

James loved to hunt, fish, trap, camp, read, and spend time with his extensive family. He was seldom idle, always having some project going on, and was known to save everything, as it may come in handy later.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Gwen Holmsten and Lori Forst.

James is survived by his children, Tina (Matt) Allison, Ele (Chris) Lassi, Meghan (Ryan) Martin, and Jim (Anna) Gardner, sister, Dawn (Roy) Seekel, 11 grandchildren, two great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and too many cousins to count.

Per his request, there will be no formal service, and instead a BBQ and bonfire will be held at a later date.