James Joseph Zwettler

March 8, 1980 - March 20, 2022

James "Jim" Joseph Zwettler died following a battle with brain cancer on March 20, 2022. Despite a daunting diagnosis in 2017, Jim chose a path of positivity and optimism-maintaining a zest for life throughout the course of his treatments. Just as he wanted, his final days were spent at home in Minneapolis, surrounded by the love and laughter of friends and family-including his wife Molly, kids Everett and Ella, parents Joe and Jan, brother Jonathan (Mallory), aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws. After meeting through friends at a brunch that Jim expected to be guys-only (otherwise, he said he would have "spruced himself up a bit more"), Jim and Molly, née Robertson, married in 2014. They share two adorable and energetic kids-Everett is six and Ella is four. Throughout his 42 years, Jim's kid-at-heart spirit was an endless source of entertainment for friends and family. If you knew Jim, you appreciated his wit and hilarity-he was regularly labeled, "the funniest person I know." Whether he was facilitating an exciting scavenger hunt, setting the example for how to maximize joy at an amusement park, constructing elaborate and obstacle-filled croquet courts, planning themed father-son Halloween costumes, or setting up detailed toy-filled scenes to greet his children in the morning-he was at his happiest as a dad. He racked up proof of a life well lived as a movie buff, provider of ever-growing lists of gifts that his family could buy him for Christmas, capturer of bumble bees, music lover, enthusiastic road tripper, expert jokester at beloved family events, Minnesota State Fair afficionado, and connoisseur of candy, sweets, and junk food. Growing up in Sauk City, Wisconsin, Jim met and made lifelong friends while attending St. Aloysius School, and then Sauk Prairie Middle and High schools. He loved exploring farm life, participating in calf births, and lending a helpful hand at the Schoepp Farm. He enjoyed proximity to two of his favorite sports teams-the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks during his years attending University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Focusing his career on insurance, Jim worked a claims manager with Farmers Insurance-an organization that's been incredibly supportive during his illness. His cousin Kelly Nachreiner, and grandparents Duane and Lois Nachreiner, and Ray and Doris Zwettler welcomed him to what's next, as he transitioned from this life. Jim's life will be celebrated with a memorial gathering at 1:30pm on Saturday, March 26 at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Minneapolis - Park Place, 1500 Park Place Blvd., Minneapolis, MN, 55416.