James Roland Spenst, 67, of Thief River Falls, MN died peacefully in Hopkins, MN, in the presence of his family on February 11th, 2015 after a battle with cancer. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at Johnson Funeral Service, Thief River Falls, MN with Reverend George Davis Officiating. Military honors will be provided by the Veterans of Foreign Wars post # 2793 and the American Legion Ecklund-Holmstrom post #117. Burial will be held later in the spring at Alson, ND. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Jim was born on September 10, 1947, in Langdon, ND, and grew up in Alsen, ND. He was baptized on September 30, 1962, in the Swiss Mennonite Church, Alsen, ND. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 9, 1968, during the Viet Nam war and proudly served his country as an airplane mechanic stationed in Germany. On March 17, 1970, he was honorably discharged. During his tour, he received the National Defense Service Medal. He went on to pursue an education at the University of Minnesota Morris and graduated on June 15, 1973, with an Associate's degree in Economics with a minor in Speech. In college he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. For many years, he worked in the St. Paul, MN, area in banking and Land Bank Farm Credit. On June 21, 1985, he married Betty L. Kardell in Grafton, ND. Soon after, they moved to Thief River Falls, MN, where he worked for twenty years as administrative office manager of a large farm. Jim enjoyed spending time with his family, pheasant hunting, fishing, golfing, repairing old cars, and especially inventing/creating/building/fixing things in the utility shed he built with his brother Scott. He was a member of the local VFW and American Legion posts. Jim was a kind and true friend to all; quick-witted, he always made people laugh. He put others' needs before his own and was always willing to lend a hand where needed. During his last few years, he volunteered for the VFW and drove veterans to and from the VA Hospital in Fargo. His absence will be deeply felt by many. But we know that because of his faith in Christ, we will see him again one day. Preceded in death by his father, Roland V. Spenst, and brother, Daniel J. Spenst. Survived by his mother, Bernice E. Spenst, Thief River Falls, loving wife Betty, brother Scott D. Spenst (Cheryl Loerzel) Red Lake Falls; children Shelly Ehlers (Larry Canfield) and Bradley Ehlers, Woodbury, MN; grandchildren U.S. Air Force Sgt. E5 Jeffrey, now proudly serving his country in Afganistan, (Brianna) LeTourneau, Las Vegas, NV, and Brandon Ehlers, White Bear Lake, MN; great grandson Hayden LeTourneau, Las Vegas, NV; and many uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends. Special thanks to Dr. Brian Wooten; the staff at the VA Hospital in Fargo, ND; the staff at Golden Living Center in Hopkins, MN; and the Asera Hospice team who all provided dedicated care and comfort to both Jim and his family.