James Richard Piepgras

Jim was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and graduated from St. Croix Lutheran High School in 1973. His career was spent in retail and distribution in the grocery industry, the building industry, and packaging. He was survived by his wife Keely Artman, daughter Mandy (Brandon) Means, son Dan (Melissa) Piepgras, daughter Jara (Todd) Canova, daughter Calli Hornbeck, daughter Rook (Erik) Paz, granddaughters Charlee Piepgras, Veronica Means, Genevieve Means, Aysa Cagnina, and Amora Paz, and grandsons Jaden Cagnina, Vincent Cagnina, Hesher Paz, and Cruz Canova, sisters Lois Miller, Linda (Larry) Merwin, and Karen (Gary) Sonnenberg, and brother Jack (Marie) Piepgras. He was preceded in death by his parents Richard and Carol Piepgras and his son Gino Tillman Cagnina.

Jim was the oldest of five children born to Dick, a salesman who holds the family record for holding the most jobs (often concurrently) and Carol, a former teacher and the real-life embodiment of Betty Crocker. From his parents he learned carpentry skills, that he was capable of figuring out how to fix just about anything, and how to stretch a buck. He developed his leadership style by organizing his siblings and all the neighborhood kids in games, usually baseball, on the grassy bluff directly across from the family home, The House With The Red Door. Jim rode his bike everywhere: up and down the mounds at the top of Dayton’s Bluff, Lake Phalen to fish, and over his brother Jack’s leg. The family attended St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in St. Paul, Minnesota where Jim was confirmed in 1969.

Jim’s high school career began in 1969 where he excelled as a student, spending four years on the A Honor Roll. Starting as a freshman, he was catcher for the baseball team, the position all Piepgrases naturally play. In his subsequent years he added class president, basketball statistician, and usher’s club to his activities. Jim graduated with honors in 1973 and was subsequently shown up by his three sisters, Lois, Linda, and Karen, who were named valedictorian three years in a row.

After time spent in college, Jim began his management career at Country Club Foods, where he met his first wife, Sue. Jim and Sue married in 1977 and later welcomed his first sidekick, daughter Mandy, named for the only girl on the Bad News Bears, and son Dan, who was born with Jim’s mechanical skill. Both kids share Jim’s mental math abilities, his propensity for (bad?) pop culture puns, and the compulsion to identify and execute repairs in the homes of loved ones. The family were involved members of Christ Lutheran in North St. Paul, where Mandy and Dan attended school, and Jim served as referee for all the Friday night basketball games.

Shortly after relocating to the suburbs of Atlanta in 1990 and a divorce, Jim, Mandy and Dan became a family of three. They spent many happy years in homes Jim customized, taking road trips where the radio was always on to see who could identify title and artist the fastest, watching baseball, college basketball, NASCAR, and anything else that wasn’t soccer, which Jim would argue was not actually a sport. They were members of Sola Fide in Lawrenceville.

A self-proclaimed “jack of all trades, master of none,” he was never happier than figuring out the solution to a home improvement problem. His scribbled napkins with wiring diagrams were testament to his self-taught skill. Jim transitioned to working in the building industry where he met his second wife, Keely. When Jim and Keely married in 2002, he added four children to his family, giving them unconditional love and endless sarcasm. Around the same time he became the on-call handyman for an HGTV star, along with his brother-in-law Ken, and began building his side work business, which he continued the rest of his life.

Jim and Keely’s family grew as their children married and had children. He was an involved grandparent and traveled far and wide to attend his grandchildren’s events (even soccer). He completed countless projects in his children’s homes. He was thrilled when his son-in-law Brandon began working for Miller and kept him stocked in High Life and Genuine Draft and gave him an excuse to eat spice drops on the trips he made to Albany.

Jim had an incredible memory, which he not only used to play any kind of trivia game, but also to recall extremely specific details about the people he encountered. He loved the music of The Eagles and art of Norman Rockwell. Even when it seemed like there was nothing in the fridge, he could put together a hot dish. He always chose poppyseed cake (no lemon) for his birthday, just like his mom. He was a storyteller, a fountain of useless and useful information, and could always be counted on to find the joke in any situation.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers a memorial to St. Croix Lutheran Academy Athletics to honor Jim’s love of sports and the many years he spent playing baseball: https://www.stcroixlutheran.org/giving or to the fund to support Jim’s widow, Keely: https://gofund.me/19946922

Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.