James “Jim” Allen Bursey Sr.
James “Jim” Allen Bursey Sr., 74, of Ocqueoc passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Saturday, September 18, 2021.
The son of George and Alice (Noland) Bedell was born November 15, 1946 in Detroit.
Jim served in the United States Army from May of 1966 through May of 1968. On July 13, 1968 he married Cheryl McCallum in Pontiac. He owned his own auto body shop for several years. As a millwright by trade, he later opened up 3 J’s, which was named after he and his two sons. They traveled to many states installing commercial powder coating systems. After retiring from that career, he opened up Ocqueoc Falls Archery, which was his true passion. He spent many years on archery leagues and could easily hit any target dead center while showing the younger generation up and just grinning. He spent countless hours teaching and mentoring, fletching arrows, and repairing bows. When a bow left his shop, you were guaranteed to have no squeaks as he took pride in every bow he worked on or sold. During hunting season, it was typical for his phone to ring at all hours and Jim loved it. It might be a customer stopping by to show off a big buck, or maybe in a panic because their string had broken. In the shop, the coffee was always brewing and hot, along with the endless hunting stories and laughter that could be heard from afar. Jim loved archery, hunting, old classic cars and trucks, baling hay and spending time in the tractor and on the fields. He was rarely alone in the tractor because there was usually one of the grandkids sitting next to him waving out the window.
There wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix, and he would share his knowledge with anyone. He loved his wife, children and grandchildren immensely. He was the one you could always count on for his quick wit, wisecracks and humor. Jim spent many years as a volunteer firefighter for Case Township. He was blessed in 2009 when he was given another chance at life when he received a double lung transplant. The gift of life allowed him almost another 12 years with his family as he watched the family tree grow with each new grandchild. This gift also gave Jim another family and he shared a wonderful bond with his donor Brianne’s mom, Anne Marie Hovey. He thanked God daily for Brianne and Anne Marie. When he spoke of Brianne, his eyes would well with tears. Jim lived, loved and treated each day with gratitude and appreciation for life.
Jim is survived by five children, James (Danielle) Bursey Jr. of Indian River, Renee (Jamie) Szymanski of Millersburg, Shanna of Florida
He was preceded in death by his wife, Cheryl; a son, Jeffrey; parents, George and Alice; and siblings, Mary, David and Richard.
Friends may visit at the Beck Funeral Home Saturday, October 2, from 4 p.m. through time of the memorial service at 5 p.m. to remember Jim and Cheryl. Rogers City Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 607 will offer a military tribute for Jim immediately following.
Online condolences may be addressed through www.beckfuneralhome.org.