James Lienhart

James “Jim” Garry Lienhart, 80, of Bismarck, ND, passed away Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at St. Gabriel’s Community in Bismarck. A celebration of life service will be held at 11am, Monday, June 20, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway in Bismarck. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial has taken place. Jim was delivered by a local midwife in Velva, ND, on June 22, 1935, to Edward and Hazel (Brodrick) Lienhart. Jim was the middle child between sisters, Rhoda and Patsy. He was also a little imp. He kept his mother busy. Rumor has it that the cat all of a sudden came up sporting a new shaved haircut. Needless to say the cat spent the winter in the house. Jim also removed all the pesky horse hair off the car seats by very patiently using the car lighter to singe it off. Jim graduated from Velva High School in 1953 and attended various universities with emphasis on business administration. He served several years in the Army, primarily in Germany. After management and sales employment out of state he held various administrative positions with Job Service North Dakota. Jim was an avid sportsman. He loved fishing and hunting, especially hunting the Ruso, ND area where he grew up. His other passion in life was antiques. Jim and his daughter started Prairie Dinosaur Antiques in May of 1993. They spent years traveling to antique shows and flea markets. Denise “retired” in 1999 and Jim went on his own starting Sage Island Antiques. He traveled extensively to shows and flea markets. In the later years Barb traveled with Jim helping set up and sell antiques. Jim was a teacher. He could read something and never forget it. He shared his knowledge of antiques with many people. He was captivating when he spoke, making him an excellent salesman. You may have wandered into his booth just browsing the wares but by the time Jim was done educating you and sharing with you his passion for all antiques, you left with something in a bag and a new collection started. His excitement over antiques started many new collectors. Jim was a fighter. He loved life. There was not a selfish bone in his body. When life gave him lemons, Jim made lemonade. As a young child he became a polio survivor. In July of 1993 he suffered a massive heart attack which forced him to medically retire. He later became a dialysis patient, with the final blow being a fall that broke his shoulder. Jim is survived by his special friend of over 30 years, Barbara Serr; her daughter, Kim (Rick Demers) Serr; daughter, Denise (Tim) Krumwiede; grandchildren, Sonja Kessler, Danya (Robby) Brown, Kaia (Mike) Zietz; great-grandchildren, Aiden and Caleb Brown, Cadence and Brayden Zietz; sister, Patricia (Rod) Boser; nieces, Bobby Kay (Jim) James, Renae (Byron) Marthe, Roxanne (Randy) Kille; great-nephews, Brandon (Molly) James, Ryan James, Dustin James, Dalton Kille; and great niece, Paige Kille. Jim was preceeded in death by his parents; uncle, Dennis Brodrick; sister, Rhoda Marthe; brother-in-law, Kas Marthe; and nephew, David Marthe.