4 years and sometimes it feels like it was yesterday. There are parts of you that are still breathing and laughing and snarking in the whole lot of us, but it doesn't make it any easier to miss you. I have to remind myself often that grief persists because love leads the way. Thank you for everything <3

To hard Jimmy to say everything!!!  Sorry I was running out of stupid characters on the first message!!!!

Anyway.... I’ll see you on Thursday morning in my office for God’s sake!!!

LuvNmissU!

Woodie!
XOs 

2 years passed and it’s still hard to believe you are not here with all of us! It’s been a tough year; looking at your beautiful smile in photos helps and hurts at the same time. You would love today, sunny and brisk. I miss you Jim, but I know there are great “happenings” where ever your energy has landed! Love you always, your adoring sister, Kathy! ❤️

I only recently learned of Jim’s passing.  We worked together a couple of times and Jim was always a great partner and professional, and someone who I very much looked forward to seeing.
It is very sad and shocking to lose him so soon.
All best wishes and condolences to his family & friends 

Missing you a lot during this holiday season.  I know how much you loved it!!  You are always with us.  Merry Christmas brother!!!  Love you!!  

I love you Jim. I think of you everyday! You were and always be my human.  (hero is cliche).  Proud of you. Love you. Miss you. 

To the family of Jim Heugens my deepest sympthay to you and your family for the loss of Jim.  I grew up knowing Jim as he use to come to the house and was good friends with my brother Rich Sokolowski.  He had a smile that could light up a room a personality that you would never forget.  I have known Jm for many years through my bother and the loss of Jim took me by surprise when I was told.  My prayers are with his family as they go through this difficult time.  May God comfort you and may you find strength in each other.  I am sorry for your loss is not enough and words come difficult at this time.  He is know with God and we will all see him again, when we meet in heaven.

Margie Gutowski (Sokolowski)


Jim- The love of my life and amazing father to our boys. Our lives will forever be changed by your passing. We will always honor your memory by living each day to make you proud of us. You were so courageous in your fight, not once feeling sorry for yourself and battling so hard to stay with those you loved. I love you with all my heart, Laura.
J❤️L  We Got This.

My heart go out to Jim and his Family 
My prayers are with you old friend!
Frank Porzondek

Uncle Jim, words cannot express how much you are loved and will be missed. I am so thankful for my memories with you. You were always so supportive in any interest I had. When I told you I liked science at a young age, you gave me a giant book of scientists to read and study. When I needed a mentor for career day, you happily accepted an invitation to talk to a bunch of seventh graders. When I was playing volleyball, you gave me videos to help improve my vertical jump. I could always count on you. 

My boys love you just as much as I do and I will miss watching your interactions with them. I am so incredibly sad that they will not have you as the mentor you were to me. 

Thank you for always listening and talking to me as “real person”. You always made me feel important and loved.  

Love you forever. 


Uncle Jim,
Thank you for making our family tradition of singing the 12 days of Christmas song so much better. I am so glad you recruited me to be a part of the five golden rings gang. Your creativity and overall excitement to make our group the "winners" of the song made the experience so much fun and i looked forward to singing with you each year. We will miss so much about you and I know the traditions you left us with will continue on. Thank you for all you taught me and I will treasure our conversations forever.
Rest easy Uncle, I Love You!

Jim, how do you write about something you can’t quite understand. It’s like reading one of your Neal Stephenson novels lol. I do know this, when someone is talking to me I will look at them and listen, because that’s what you did. I’ll celebrate their successes as if they were my own, because that’s what you did. And I’ll love my family as if they are the most perfect of God’s creation. That’s what you do. My heart hurts. I love you. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Today we have a visitation, a service, and a celebratory luncheon. If I’ve learned a thousand things from Jimmy, and I believe I have, a day like today requires a “good base.” You’ll be happy you did. Thanks my brother. 

We will miss you forever. From making my children realize their opinions were important, making my husband feel like a brother, being a loving  brother to me.  You loved to tease, compete, laugh and you were oh so punny!!!   Too many memories and laughs to convey.  The Bekemeyers love you dearly.  

Our family has been blessed to have you as a part of us. Dan, Andrea, Grant, Alec, Grace and I loved our moments together. We are especially thankful for your time on the east coast. It was wonderful having you so close. Seeing baby Bren, helping getting Andrea to soccer tournaments, attendant so many of Alec’s college and minor league games and fun holiday weekends. Baby Ada would have loved you and enjoyed the narrative you provided for her in her newborn stage. You are a wonderful son, brother, husband, dad, friend, person and you will live in our hearts forever. I love you Laura, Bren and Ben and my entire family. 

Words cannot express my sadness.  My deepest sympathy to entire Heughens Family. This was heartfelt and tearful news. I haven’t seen Jim in years but never forgot him. How could you. He was smart and had charismatic personality. I remember the first time I meet Jim.  It was the first day of 7th grade (Beer Jr High) Mr. Lavoie 1st hr. He was one of the first kids, I meet. He had that big shit ass smile on his face and said I’m Jim.  We hit it off instantly. We had a lot of fun back in the day and I cherish a lot of those memories. May there be comfort in knowing that someone so special will never be forgotten. May you be at rest and peace my friend… xoxo Kathy Klimczak 

So many times my little brother acted as my big brother. Always a shoulder to lean on! I will miss our deep talks on politics, religion, poetry, life! You always made me examine different view points.  I will miss your gorgeous smile, the laughter and your wry wit! You loved your family so much! Wherever your spirit soars to little brother, it will be a better, happier, loving place! You were the best uncle to my kids and grands. They love you so much! You were so brave and strong! We will love and protect Laura, Bren and Bennet forever. So, just rest and be at peace. When I see you next, I promise I will not take my eyes away from yours for one second when you are telling me a story! Lol  You loved undivided attention!  I love you! Your devoted sister, Kathy ❤️
“I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul”

I really don't know where to start.  I am not sure if I really just want to type the word TEARS over and over or just move to the point of how SAD yet in a way 'HAPPY' that I am right now.  Jimmy will ALWAYS be a BEST FRIEND (as we called it...10 as 1)and sometimes things happen that are out of anyones power or wishes.  
There is a BOND that maybe I have with Jimmy in a way that is special to me... Going and coming to our guys weekend golf outing in the fall always had me trucking his ass home early in the AM on the Sunday.  I looked forward to that in a way until he started to TALK.  GOD he could Talk!  The best part was going down I-75 and getting to the COOK road exit in West Branch, it's what we did every year that I had him in tow,  to get him his damn Double Tea, a White Egg 'Something' and maybe his Cinnamon bites (only place sold them that I know).  Hash Browns? NOT!  Then on our way he did nothing but YAP his TRAP non stop from everything about Laura and the Boys, and stuff I can't reveal... That went on for as long as I can remember until we would get to near Bay City or earlier... Thank GOD.  His lips were dry and white with chalky substance.  The man was parched!  Then as I look over... he's sleeping until I get him to where he needs to go, to Laura and the Boys... and maybe flying out as soon as he gets home.
That is only ONE of many hundreds of times that I can reflect in such a short time writing this.  I would probably crash the website writing all night.  As my other buddy Schmidty said, Jimmy always had the stories, and they NEVER changed, and as we get older and WISER (NOT), they will always be cherished.  All I will say is that I am LOST...LOST for what words can say... there are no WORDS... just memories, and what comes to mind the most...the LOVE that we ALL shared together!  I miss Jimmy, not that I would see him today, tomorrow, or in a month from now...42 years buddy!
But I will miss driving him home, Ted Luvs U 4EVER

A wise person once said, "Success is in the journey, not the destination."  Roughly 35 years ago Jim and I played our first round of golf together.  My score was 106.  Since then, we've played well over 100 rounds together(usually with the boys) and during each round Jim would share his golf wisdom to aid me in my improvement.  The last time we golfed I think I scored a 105.  You see, Jim would talk more on the golf course than anyone in the history of the sport.  Politics, current events, our families, old memories....golf tips.  The scores just didn't matter, these rounds were all part of the journey, the journey that will always be cherished and never forgotten.  See you at the 19th hole my brother. 

So many of our best memories were with Jim, Laura, and the boys. I am so thankful to have had such an amazing brother in law and uncle to my kids. Jim always found the coolest places to check out when we were traveling or visiting them, was an incredible cook, and was just an all around great guy. He was such a fighter who stayed so positive, and never lost his sense of humor, in all that he went through. I am so heartbroken. He will be forever missed. 

I am one who keeps my feelings to myself but this one really hurts . You are one of the best guys I know , so many great times with you and my sis and of course the boys . You were such an awesome Uncle to my sons and they thought the world of you , love you brother .

So many great memories to share about Jim. He was one of the best story tellers I have ever known. Every year we would get together at our annual golf trip and laugh at the same stories that we’ve heard for 25+ years. The reason they are still so funny is because Jim was telling them.  Jim would always add an embellishment or two, just to entertain his audience. 
Jim never lacked confidence, he was cocky (in a good way), and let’s be honest, he could be an entertaining “smart-ass”.  That was one of the things I loved most about Jim. 
One of my favorite memories of Jim was a trick he played on my wife, Sally. We hadn’t been married long and we were having a get together for the Cherry Festival when we lived in Traverse City. Jim always had an intuitiveness about people, and this was certainly evident in this situation. Sally had numerous home décor items that she displayed around our house. On the mantel, on tables, shelves, etc. Jim thought it would be funny to move everything to the opposite side of where it was displayed while Sally was gone, just to see if she noticed.  Shortly after she returned home, she noticed something wasn’t quite right.  Jim sat there with that all too familiar smirk on his face. We all laughed about that for years and still do. Who thinks of stuff like that? Jim always did.
Jim was a great friend to so many of us and it makes me so sad to think that I’m not going to hear him tell those stories anymore. One thing I know for sure, he will never be forgotten.  I hope everyone continues to tell the stories of Jim and share the laugher that he brought to us for so many--but not enough years.
I Love You Brother. Rest in Peace. 

Mike Schmidt


i remember Jim from when our "crews"  used to hang out in Warren.  Many a good time.   My prayers and condolences to the family.  God Speed

Jimmy, Thanks for a great childhood. You taught me how to throw a football, hit a wiffle golf ball with a souvenir bat, swish a free-throw, and snowboard race down the "green hill" on a piece of plywood. Too bad we were always on the opposite team, I guess that taught me to be competitive. 
On to the teen years, thanks for having such cute friends and bringing them over all the time! 
Finally, thanks for giving us all a cherished sister-in-law and two incredibly smart and funny nephews.
Miss you forever.

I met Jim in grade school, in the most influential years of my life. I cannot honestly remember a day that I didn't see him smiling, smirking, or laughing. We hung out in a group of friends that have shared experiences and memories that will last a lifetime. My heart is so sad for Jim's wife Laura, his two boys, his Mom, sisters and brother....and his whole extended family that includes all of the wonderful men and women I grew up with. I know Jim's Dad has his arms wrapped around his son today...and always. He will always be a guardian angel....it was how he seemed to live his life. You will be missed here on earth my friend by so, so many. 
With Love, JOY

Jimmy will be terribly missed.  At the age of 10, I met a girl my age that had just moved here from Virginia, who had biggest family I had ever met.  As a result of that visit to Helmich, there are not too many childhood memories that don’t include the Heughens family, the whole Heughens  family! Jimmy was kind, gentle, caring, funny,  sarcastic and taught me  some amazing ways to slide under the radar and get away with almost everything. 
My heart breaks for his wonderful mom, his wife and sons and the entire extended Heughens family.  I will think of Jimmy with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. May peace be with you all. 

My memories of Jim were from early childhood, growing up with the Heughens family on James Dr.   Although he graduated from High School with my Brother (Scott Peterson) in 1984, we all hung out together as I was the Class of 1983.   All of us were from the same neighborhood...Warren, MI....,attending Marshall Elementary and Beer Jr High.
I have fond memories of Jim during the X-Mas gatherings in the Peterson basement after attending midnight Mass at St. Louise.  We also bonded at Jeff Rokop's cottage in up north MI, where we shared good conversations, laughter, and our favorite beverages.   I managed to quote a phase that will only be understood by Jim and myself...., and maybe even Teddy.   He attended my wedding in Sterling Hgts.   My wife and I especially enjoyed the personal message he left on our wedding video at the reception.    We travelled to Vancouver together during my brothers wedding and shared special times enjoying the landscape and each others company.   Although we lost touch over the years, I hold on to the fond memories we shared growing up in Warren.  It moved me to tears to hear about his passing, and my heart was saddened to know what a beautiful, loving, and caring friend we had in our buddy Jim.  I will miss him deeply!  God Bless Jim Heughens and the Heughens family….I love you brother!                         
With Deepest Sympathies......Jeff Peterson

OBITUARY

James "Jim" Heughens

January 20, 1966 – March 13, 2019

Pixley Funeral Home

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