The son of a military family, Jim was born April 8, 1947 in Fort Knox, Kentucky. By the time he was in high school, he had lived in Japan, Cuba, Bolivia, and many places across the United States. He entered the United States Army in 1966, where he was a helicopter flight instructor at Fort Bragg, NC.
After his time in the Army, he moved to Huntington, WV, where he met and married his wife of 49 years, Teresa (Terry) Bicknell Michnowicz. He and Terry have one son, James Casimir (Jim) Michnowicz, also of Holly Springs.
Jim earned his Bachelor’s in Education, and Master’s in Biology from Marshall University. He worked for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, before moving to Ohio and working for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, first as a field inspector, and then as a district supervisor. He retired in 2007, and moved to NC to be close to his son’s family.
Jim loved traveling, cooking and the outdoors. He was a certified Master BBQ Judge with the Kansas City Barbecue Society, having judged more than 100 BBQ competitions in NC and beyond in the last few years. But nothing meant more to him than family – his wife, son, daughter-in-law Stephanie Price Michnowicz – and the joy of his life was his two grandchildren, Alexander Casimir and Claire Victoria Michnowicz. He taught them to fish, cook, and to enjoy snack time. More than anything, Jim enjoyed being a “Jaja” to his two grandchildren.
Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Casimir John Michnowicz and Ann Andrachek Michnowicz. In addition to his wife and son’s family, he is survived by his sisters Michalene (Mickey) Fisher and Diann Michnowicz, and their families.
A visitation will be held at Apex Funeral Home on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. A funeral mass will be held at Saint Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church, 3008 Old Raleigh Road Apex, NC 27502 on Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 1:00pm with burial at Montlawn Memorial Park to follow.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Jim’s name to the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement or the Environmental Defense Fund.
