James Ray Vanada

James (Jim) Ray Vanada, 77, of Newburgh, Indiana, passed away in his home on Sunday, March 17, 2024, after an abruptly short bout with esophageal cancer. Jim was born on February 6, 1947, to parents Chester Schulz Vanada and Betty Ray Vanada in Evansville, Indiana. Raised in a loving farming family with four siblings (John Vanada, Nancy Hasting, Ann Stevenson, and Dan Vanada), he learned early on the importance of scripture, sharing and education. He graduated from Castle High School in 1965 and received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. He was well-traveled, well-read, and well-loved by a myriad of people in all reaches of life and experience. Known for his irascible humor and wit, his unfailing memory, his laugh, his anecdotes; his faith and his wisdom will be remembered by all who knew him. Starting with a co-op in 1966, he had a love-hate relationship with ALCOA for over 50 years, developing proprietary code to run their rolling mills and likely breaking every workplace politics rule in the process. Jim’s faith was his foundation and his guiding light. He unabashedly shared his love of Christ and his deep scriptural knowledge with everyone he encountered—from restaurant servers to members of his Sunday School classes. Like his Dennis the Menace quotes, he had a memorized Bible verse for every situation. Always engineering-minded, he managed the legacy of his father’s Centennial farm and was a welcome sight along the road, tooling along on his yellow-canopied blue tractor. Any request involving his tractor was welcome and quickly addressed. He often joked about assessing jobs by “ones and zeroes” and was an active member of the local model railroading club for over 20 years. The family he left behind takes peace from the knowledge that he’s in a better place and heavenly form. He is survived by his beloved wife, Marti Vanada, of 54 (!) years of marriage; son, Andrew and his wife, Angela Vanada and their children, Elizabeth and Levi; daughter, Lisa and husband, Mike McCool and their children, Sam, Max and Lilli—all residing in Newburgh in close proximity. Jim will be missed by extended family, including many cousins, nieces and nephews, notably sister-in-law, Laura Lazet and her daughters, Kaity and Amy Lazet. A Celebration of Life Service will be 3:00 p.m., Sunday, March 24, 2024 at Living Word Christian Church, 3888 State Road 261, Newburgh, Indiana, officiated by Pastor Tommy Epperson. Family and friends may visit Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until service time at the church. Memorial contributions may be made to Feed My Starving Children 401 93rd Avenue NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433 or Evansville Rescue Mission, 1101 Washington Avenue, Evansville, IN 47715. Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderNewburghChapel.com.