James A. Arata, MD

James Andrew Arata was born to Mary Johanna and Alphonsus Paul Arata on December 11, 1930 in Mishawaka, Indiana. On June 14, 1952 he married Jane Lephart in Union City, Indiana. Jim received his M.D. degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1955. While in the Army, he did his internship in Tacoma, Washington and was chief resident in San Antonio, Texas. He then served as chief radiologist in Nuremburg, Germany and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. On December 31, 1962 he received an honorable discharge from the Army as a Major and moved with his family to Fort Wayne, Indiana so his children could grow up near their grandparents. He continued his medical career in Fort Wayne. For many years, he and his partners provided radiology services to outlying communities and were pioneers in bringing CT, Ultrasound and MRI to rural northern Indiana. He retired from practicing medicine in 1997, and later went on to launch a program for nursing students at St. Francis University to assist with medical care at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission.

Jim lived life to the fullest. Upon arriving home after a full day of work, he often chased his eight children outside and played with them until supper time. He loved to socialize and was known for his kindness, warmth, and welcoming personality. He made time for many activities with his friends and family including hunting, fishing trips to Canada, and white water rafting in the Western US. He also enjoyed watching sports and playing Scrabble, Euchre and Bridge. He had a lifelong passion for horse racing and taught all of his children the life-skill of placing a two-dollar bet while remembering that “you should never bet more than you can afford to lose!”. Without a doubt, Jim’s favorite way to spend time was at Lake James on his pontoon boat, swimming and eating donuts.

Jim had a stroke in 2011 that made verbal and written communication impossible. After that, his ability to communicate with facial expressions and hand gestures got even better. He was happiest when surrounded by people, especially his wife, children and their families. He had a second stroke on May 11 and passed peacefully on May 13, 2021. He was predeceased by his daughter, Maureen, and 7 siblings. He is survived by his loving wife, Jane, his sister Rosemary “Agnes” Laux, daughter Elaine (Mark Pecevich), daughters Cindy and Nancy, son James (Gina), daughter Cheryl, son Tim (Loretta Jones), daughter Lisa Yde (Mark), eleven grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Visitation is from 5-8 PM on Tuesday, May 18, at D.O. McComb Funeral Home, 8325 Covington Rd. The Funeral Mass is at 10:30 AM Wednesday, May 19, at St. Patrick Catholic Church of Arcola, 12305 Arcola Rd. Additional visitation at the church will start at 9:30 AM. Donations may be made to the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission.