James Arthur Lamson

James (Jim) Arthur Lamson April 12, 1936- November 15, 2024 Lamson, James A. of Edina, MN, age 88 passed away peacefully on November 15, 2024 in Edina after an short illness after his valiant fight against cancer of four years. Preceded in death by his parents Arnold and Catherine Lamson, and sister Arylss Smart. He is survived by his wife, Mary, daughter Michele, son Ted, and grandchildren Mary, Maggie, Joe, Hannah, Jennifer, and Kate. And also, by many loving nieces, nephews, sister-in-law and brother-in-law, cousins, family and friends. Jim was born in River Falls, WI and spent his boyhood on the farm in Roberts, WI which is where his joy of gardening began. At 16 his family moved to White Bear Lake where he made good friends and graduated from high school. He went on to the University of Minnesota where he was a member of Alpha Kappa Psi a business fraternity, and earned his B.A. in Economics in 1958. He met Mary Steinmetz his future wife at the University of Minnesota as well and was a lifetime Gopher fan especially of football and basketball to which they had season tickets for many years. After graduation Jim entered and excelled in Officer training for the Navy, and became a Lieutenant. He was based out of San Franciso, Hawaii and Japan from 1959-1962. In 1961 he married Mary Steinmetz in San Diego, and they lived in San Franciso. He loved Mary so much and they were truly best friends and had a strong wonderful partnership. In California his interest in the vineyards and wines began. After leaving the Navy, they moved to Minnesota where their families were, and Jim started in real estate. He was a founding partner for Realty Center in Edina where he helped many agents get started, and people buy and sell their homes. He was well respected in the industry. Jim became a father in 1963 and was a wonderful caring father and role model for Michele and Ted. They moved from Minneapolis to Edina where he had an expansive garden in his back yard where he loved to grow vegetables and relax. He loved skiing in the mountains of Colorado, and going to concerts at Orchestra Hall. He had fun with the two standard poodles and dalmatian that they had over the years. He liked feeding the deer, ducks and birds in his back yard. In 1974 they bought their cabin on the Gull Lake chain in the Brainerd area and his lifelong love of boats was enjoyed. He spent hours teaching generations of his family to water ski and enjoy the beauty of the North woods. Everyone learned how to plant and tend to trees. He loved his family and was known as Uncle Jimsy very fondly by his nephews and their families. Jim had many close friends that he had gathered across his lifetime. He loved traveling and enjoyed visiting Italy, France, England, Switzerland, and Ireland. Jim loved grilling and entertaining and loved being with family, friends, and neighbors. He was a very gentle, kind, smart, and generous person as well as a great leader. He enjoyed reading, learning, and giving solid researched advice to people. He had a positive attitude and always looked at the bright side. Jim impacted many lives with his positive nature and kindness. He will be greatly missed. On Monday, November 25th, 2024 at the Church of St. Patrick’s in Edina, Jim’s life will be celebrated at 10:00am Mass with visitation one hour prior to service. A private interment will be at Fort Snelling in 2025. In lieu of flowers, donations preferred to Minnesota Landscape Arboretum www.arb.umn.edu Details at www.washburn-mcreavy.com

Tributes

James Arthur Lamson

April 12, 1936 - November 15, 2024

Tributes

James Arthur Lamson

April 12, 1936 - November 15, 2024

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