James "Jim" L. Neiman

James “Jim” Leonard Neiman, 62 years old, died unexpectedly at his home Monday, October 30, 2023.  Jim was born in Sioux City, IA on November 9, 1960.  He arrived with great rejoicing at his parents, Lewis and Betty Neiman’s home November 28, 1960, in Primghar, IA.

Jim lived with his parents and brother Michael, who was two years older, until the family bought Home Bay Resort at Park Rapids, MN in 1961 and moved there in the spring of 1962.  Jim attended Frank White School in Park Rapids and graduated from Park Rapids School District in 1979.  

Jim helped with the resort and was active in 4H and community activities. In high school he participated in football and wrestling.  Jim went on to study engineering at Moorhead State University where he played a couple of seasons of collegiate football.  He later transferred to North Dakota State University to further his study in engineering.  Immediately after leaving college, he began working for Norwest Bank and continued with them after they became Wells Fargo. His position was then taken over by CBRE which he retired from as a Lead Service Technician in January 2022.

Jim met his wife Vera in December of 1994 when they were set up by mutual friends to attend a corporate Christmas party together.  They continued to date and were engaged to be married in 1996.  They then began building their long-time hobby farm in Horace, ND in 1997, where they still reside today. They were married on March 14, 1998, and continued in sharing their passion of animals, gardening, and everyday life on the farm.  

Jim is well known for greatly enjoying projects outdoors and anything that involved utilizing his beloved tractors.  He is remembered by friends and family as a problem solver with the capability of engineering quick fixes when the necessity arose.  An extremely generous, humble, and good-hearted individual, he was always willing to lend a hand to someone in need, often doing so with a quick joke that kept the mood light.  Interacting with Jim typically left one with a smile and a sense that all was well.  In addition to his love for Vera and their family Jim had great affection for his animals and spent many hours attending to he and Vera’s horses, dwarf cows, a miniature donkey, and their dogs and cats.  

Jim is survived by his wife Vera Neiman (Horace, ND), his mother Betty Neiman (Park Rapids, MN), his brother Michael (Leslie) Neiman (Odessa, TX) and nephew Samuel (Odessa, TX).  Jim is preceded in death by his father Lewis Neiman and nephew Austin Neiman as well as his father and mother-in-law Edwin & Elsie Foss (Fargo, ND) and brother-n-law Brian (Huron, SD). 

A memorial service will be held Monday, November 6, 2023, at 11:00 A.M., with visitation from 10:00 to 11:00 A.M., at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Moorhead, MN.  Final resting place will be Sunset Memorial Gardens in Fargo, ND.