Jimmie Lee Golden

Jimmie Lee Golden of Fridley, MN passed away suddenly on Wednesday, September 7th, 2022, at the age of 81. Born March 9, 1941, in Benjamin, Texas, he was the youngest of Ambrus and Hattie Golden's eight children. The eldest of the Golden siblings, Anna Lucille (20 years his senior), brought Jimmie to Minnesota when he was in his early teens, which is where he was to live the rest of his life. He lived with Anna and her husband James McCanlies and her children Leroy, Eddie, and Dolores for several years, and being similar in age, Jim was like a brother to the 3 of them as well. In 1960 he met the love of his life, Janice Burkowski, and they were married on September 1, 1962 (recently celebrating 60 years). They had 2 children, Kathi and Mike, and as a family, they enjoyed camping, road trips and lots of community sports. Later, Jim discovered another of his greatest joys, which was spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren provided a full schedule of events for Jim and Jan to attend, at which they were always the biggest fans and supporters. There was little that Jim wouldn't do for his family or friends, so for most of his life he was on-call 24/7 with his wide range of talents. He would arrive quickly to fix a plumbing leak at 11:30 on a Tuesday night, or drop everything to drive across town and fix your car. He would even devote weeks of his nights and weekends to helping you install an entire household electrical system. As a chronic tinkerer, he enjoyed his role as the neighborhood fix-it guy because it provided numerous opportunities to help people, and to revitalize a variety of broken and neglected items. He found the painstaking labor of making inoperative things work like new again to be very rewarding; especially when the odds were long against them ever being of further use. His restoration process was the perfect illustration of his attitude toward everything in life; "if you don't give up, you can't lose". This uncomplicated and pragmatic approach yielded a steady stream of success in all his endeavors, because giving up was seemingly the one thing he was never capable of. As an entrepreneur, his business ventures included operating a gas and service station, driving over the road trucks, operating a sign and award company (which he did for 25 years), then selling and servicing laser and mechanical engraving equipment, which he did until the day before he passed. Along the way he employed dozens of friends and family members, of which all were appreciative of the opportunities he provided, and his benevolence as an employer. He was great and fun to work with, and he appreciated all the help he received - especially as it related to helping find his coffee mug, several times daily. As a massive consumer of the stuff, Jim adopted a unique "sip, set, and wander" style early-on in his coffee-drinking career, which was never to be further developed. As such, the search was nearly always on for his most recently placed cup. Helping people by volunteering his time and talents was a lifelong pursuit, and Fridley, his home community for nearly 45 years, provided many opportunities. Most notably, Jim was a dedicated member of the Fridley Lions Club for nearly three decades where he found camaraderie and lifelong friendships. Jim was truly a special man; forever humble, patient, kind and generous. Being the devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend that he was, came naturally to him, and he was remarkable in each of those roles. He will always be remembered for the never-ending positivity that served to strengthen everyone that he encountered, and he will be dearly missed by all who had the fortune of knowing him. Jim is survived by his wife Jan and their 2 children; Kathi and Mike [Steph], 6 grandchildren; Shaughn [Malorie] Patton, Krista [Robert] Kromer, Sara Eastlund, Matthew, Jillian, & Mark Golden, and 5 great-grandchildren; Logan DeMike, Cade & Kennedy Kromer, and Marek & Inga Patton. Nephew Eddie [Terry] Yarbrough, and niece Dolores [David] Dikes and many more beloved of Texas. A service for Jim will be held at Immaculate Conception Church - 4030 Jackson St NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421 - on Thursday, September 15th at 11am, with visitation 1 hour prior. Memorials preferred to Immaculate Conception Church.

Tributes

Jimmie Lee Golden

March 9, 1941 - September 7, 2022

Tributes

Jimmie Lee Golden

March 9, 1941 - September 7, 2022

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