James LaMoine Keel Sr.

James LaMoine Keel Sr., age 86, of Bath, Michigan was born in Warsaw, Indiana on January 22, 1938 and passed away quietly after a long struggle with dementia on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at Bickford of Okemos.

James, known best as Jim, enjoyed airplanes. He loved watching the Blue Angels and actually had his pilot license and plane in the 70's. He also had a love of cars. He collected several cars over the years, but his favorite were Thunderbirds. He was quite the craftsman and refurbished several pieces of furniture for his loved ones.

Jim worked for Diamond Rio and General Motors for over 28 years. He finally retired to work on his pride and joy - his home in Bath. You could see Jim working in his yard and mowing during the spring and summer days on his John Deere. He also spent several Sundays at Bath Baptist. The rest of his days, he spent quietly enjoying retirement in Bath.

As Jim became older, many special people helped care for him. His family would like to thank Cindy and Butch Martens for the many rides to the bank, grocery shopping and the countless invitations to holiday gatherings. Tammy and Brian Fickies for checking in on him and helping him fix many electronic items. And Lenard Tolliver for checking in and making sure he was safe. Jim's family can't begin to tell you all how much that meant to him and his family. And so much love to Bickford of Okemos and the Hospice care team.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents George and Bernice Keel; and sisters Marilyn Irvin, Georgia McIntyre, Linda Hammond and Marcia Smith. He is survived by his son James (Dani) Keel Jr.; daughter Laurie (Matthias) Schwabe; grandchildren Amelia Schwabe, Annabella Schwabe and Lilly Schwabe; and brother Dennis Keel.

A funeral service for Jim will be held on Monday, May 13, 2024 at 11:00am with a visitation one hour prior at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home, 205 E. Washington St. DeWitt, MI 48820. Interment to follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.