James Edward Ballenthin

On February 7, 2025, James Edward Ballenthin passed peacefully in his sleep. He spent his last days surrounded by his family including his wife Jean, his children Paula Fedunok (Chris), Jeffrey Ballenthin (Andrea), and Matthew Ballenthin (Kristen), his six grandchildren Emma, Caden, Audrey, Clara, Zoe, and Samuel, and former spouse Peggy.

Jim grew up in Owatonna, MN with his parents Willi and Adeline Ballenthin, and his siblings Kathy, Richard, and John. A core family value was education, and Jim fully embraced this value. He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society and in the top 10% of his class at the University of MN Law School.

Jim married his high school sweetheart, Peggy, and together they had three children. Although their marriage did not last, they developed a beautiful friendship that grew stronger over the years.

Jim spent the rest of his life with his wife, Jean “Lovey” who encouraged him to embrace his adventurous side and see the beauty of the world through a new lens. Throughout their 44 years together she taught him to occasionally embrace junk food, enjoy spontaneity within limits, and most of all to love rock music. They especially enjoyed live shows and went to the Moondance Jam outdoor rock festival several years in row. The two loved to travel and explored many new lands side by side. While some vacations were exotic, their road trips across our Country delivered them to many of our presidential libraries where they both loved the drama of history!

During his more than 20 years as an attorney Jim developed expert skills in language, logic, law and politics. He used these skills successfully advising clients in both business and family matters as well as in the organizations he joined over the years. Jim’s undeniable logic, unoffending language, and sharp sense of humor made him a force to be reckoned with wherever he went.

He was charitable with his time. In addition to helping members of the community, he served terms as president of the congregation at both Roseville Lutheran and Salem Lutheran church. He was also charitable with money. He and Jean always made significant monetary contributions to worthy causes including their church, local food shelves and provided substantial support to help open a new animal shelter in Hackensack, MN.

Jim had a deep love of the natural environment. As Chairman of the Ponto Lake Township Board he worked hard to encourage the township to do long-range planning and consider the needs of future generations. As a Trustee of Deep Portage Learning Center, he oversaw the design and installation of a sustainable wood gasification heating system as well as a solar energy system. As a Supervisor of the Cass County Soil and Water Conservation District he was named the Minnesota State Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts 2019 Outstanding Supervisor.

Jim enjoyed many outdoor activities like water skiing, cross-country skiing, backpacking and bicycling. In his young adult years Jim raced bicycles with the Gopher Wheelman bicycling club in the Twin Cities. He placed well in many local and national races and earned several awards. Jim also enjoyed the solitude of natural, remote spaces where he could test his self-reliance skills, independence, and physical and mental fortitude. He combined several of these interests by completing numerous bicycle touring adventures wherein he carried all of the gear needed to support himself for many days over long distances. A specific achievement was at the age of 66 when he completed a 1,600-mile bicycle trip around Lake Superior to help raise money for food shelves in his local community (“Rolling Over Hunger”).

Despite the unrelenting advancement of Parkinson’s Disease and dementia Jim always greeted everyone with a smile and treated them with kindness and respect. Although his logic and command of language fell victim to his disease, his humor never did. Even the staff at his care facility quickly learned to appreciate his humor.

Jim touched the lives of many, but none more than his family. He was a beloved husband, father, and grandpa who loved more than anything sharing time with his family. In summer, he enjoyed cooking breakfasts with fresh caught fish and blueberry pancakes then pulling the grandchildren for hours on tubes and water skis. When the kids asked to ice skate in the winter, he’d shovel snow off Lake Ponto to make a rink. Jim spent countless weekends helping his kids build decks, remodel bathrooms, refurbish floors and complete other home projects. He cherished family hiking, biking, and camping trips, with evenings delivering peaceful moments for playing cards and roasting marshmallows by the campfire. Jim listened well and genuinely wanted to know his family. His eyes twinkled amidst the bustle of family laughter as stories were told, politics discussed, and occasional nuggets of wisdom shared, all while sipping on a cider or Old Fashioned.

We will each miss Jim in our own way; however, through every moment shared and memory created he will forever hold a spot in our hearts. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The purpose of life is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well”. Let’s all lift our glasses and toast Jim’s life - a life lived well.

A visitation for Jim will be held February 28, 2025 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Wulff Woodbury Funeral home, 2195 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125, followed by a memorial service at 6:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in remembrance to the Deep Portage learning Center, Hackensack, MN (www.deep-portage.org).