James Lewis Harsha

James Lewis Harsha, 85, of Okemos, MI gracefully passed on in the early morning hours of Tuesday October 2nd. Jim was born on November 22, 1932 in Akron, OH to the late James Harsha and the late Stella (Lewis) Harsha. He was the youngest sibling to his late sisters, Alice (Harsha) Jansen, and Helen (Harsha) Cummings.

James excelled in his early years at East High School as a model student and basketball player. He went on to play basketball for the University of Akron Zips and earned a B.A. degree in Industrial Engineering. During his career, he would later go on to earn a marketing management degree from the Harvard Business School in 1975.

James began working for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company the day after he graduated high school. He moved his way up through the ranks and eventually became Vice President of the sales division for Motor Wheel Co. James was with Goodyear/Motor Wheel for his entire forty-seven year career.

James was an avid and devoted golfer who enjoyed the majority of his rounds at Walnut Hills Country Club in East Lansing, MI. He came to love gardening in his later years of retirement. He also enjoyed fishing and summer trips to a family getaway in Bracebridge, Ontario which he dearly adored. Most notably, James was a staunch Ohio State Buckeye fan.

He will be greatly missed and loved by his wife of sixty-six years Diane Lenore Harsha; his daughter Becky and her sons Kevin and Kyle; his son Tim and his wife Diane and daughter Melanie; and his daughter in law Lynne Harsha and her daughter Ellen Harsha; and many other nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his son Thomas Steven Harsha.

Celebration of Life for James L Harsha will be 2:00 PM Thursday, May 23, 2019 at Mt Hope Cemetery, 1709 E. Mt Hope Ave., Lansing.