James Voytilla, 51, of Viking, MN died peacefully on Friday, February 02, 2018 at his residence.

Memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at New Hope Lutheran Church in Newfolden, MN with Pastor Ollie Urdahl officiating.  Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM with a 7:00 PM prayer service on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at Johnson Funeral Service.   Visitation will also be held one hour prior to the service on Wednesday at New Hope Lutheran Church.

James Michael Voytilla was born on October 6, 1966 in Warren, MN the son of Larry and Betty (Wimpfheimer) Voytilla.  He was baptized and confirmed at Alma Lutheran Church near Argyle, MN.

He attended school in Argyle, MN and in the summer of 1983, at the age of 16, Jim made his first trip to Alaska to work in his cousin's gold mine, and that same year, he adventured to Hawaii by himself to see the world.  On October 18, 1983, at an Argyle football game, Jim met his future wife, Gay Nell Moose.  In the summer of 1984, Jim worked at the elevator in Argyle.  In the summer of 1985, he went to Alaska again with his brother's family and spent the summer working on the Endicott Project approximately 20 miles east of Prudhoe Bay.  Then Jim returned to graduating with the Argyle High School class of 1986.

That year, Jim and Gay spent the summer in Alaska, ventured to Colorado and there he proposed to his future wife, Gay.   The couple married on June 27, 1987 at Zion Lutheran Church in Viking, MN.  They made their home on a farm in Viking Township, Marshall County, MN, just north of Viking, MN. They are the proud parents of 4 children, Joseph, Jessica, Mike and Nicole.

He worked at various jobs including Schumacher's in Grand Forks, JMI, Warren Tire in Warren, MN, and Arctic Cat in Thief River Falls.  In 1996, the family and the dog, Pooh Bear, moved to North Pole, Alaska where Jim worked at his brother, Dave's auto mechanic shop.  They were there for one year before returning to their home in Viking and Jim went to work for LV Plumbing & Heating.  He then ventured off into self-employment of plumbing & heating for a time and also worked at Arctic Cat, Anderson Power & Hardware Hank, and Ericco.

Jim enjoyed music, playing jokes, spending time at his cabin at Lake Of The Woods, boating, fishing, working on his cars, especially his 1979 & 1984 Trans Ams and 1981 & 1982 Corvettes. His happiest times were spent spoiling his grandchildren, or as he referred to them as the "Wittle Ones".

Survivors include his wife Gay of Viking, MN; children, Joseph (Roxanne) Voytilla of Baudette, MN, Jessica (Cody) Sorvig of St. Hilaire, MN, Mike (Abigail) Voytilla of Viking, MN and Nicole (Jeff) Voytilla of Thief River Falls; 6 grandchildren, Matt Mattern, Owen Schaff, Hendrix Voytilla, August Voytilla, Veronica Voytilla and Leona Voytilla; mother, Betty Voytilla of Warren, MN; siblings, Donny Voytilla, Jane Michel, Delbert (Kathy) Erickson, Pam Jones, David Erickson, Bob (Bev) Erickson, Patty (Rodney) Knutson; and many other relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by his father, Larry; brother, Rick Erickson; nephew, Nathan Erickson; and father and mother-in-law, Glen and Veronica Moose.