Jim Winge
March 15, 1957 - February 26, 2022

Jimmy Lee "Jim" Winge, 64, of Fort Dodge passed away Saturday, February 26, 2022 at the Paula J. Baber Hospice Home.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 1:30 PM Friday, March 4, 2022 at Holy Trinity Church. Burial will follow at Corpus Christi Cemetery. A visitation will be 4:00 to 7:00 PM Thursday at the church, with a Rosary at 6:30 PM. Laufersweiler Funeral Home is serving the family.

Jimmy Winge, also known as Jim, Dad, Jim my Man, Uncle, and Papa was born on March 15th of 1957 in Watertown, South Dakota to John and Doris Winge. He graduated high school in Conde, SD before attending Lake Area Votech. In 1980, Jim went on a blind date with Geri Welder, whom he fell in love with and married in 1983.

They welcomed their first child, Adam, in 1988. Adam is married to Olivia (Ollie) and have three children: Jaxon, Vivian, and Lilian. They currently reside in Iowa City, Iowa. Jim and Geri had their second son, Luke, in 1990. Luke currently lives with his wife Emily and their children in Dellvale, Kansas. In 1993 Jim and Geri welcomed their twin sons, Jacob and Joseph. Jacob is married to Kaitlyn and their three daughters: Adalyn, Everleigh, and Isla. They live in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Joseph lives in Wallingford, Iowa with his wife Hope.
As a good friend once said, "Winge is a man of Wisdom" and will be remembered as such.
Among the fondest memories of Jim Winge is the ear to ear smile and almost child-like excitement anytime he caught a big fish, harvested a pheasant, or bagged a quail. Jim was an avid hunter and ensured all of his kids learned how to appreciate the outdoors. He shared his passion with his children by regularly taking them hunting, fishing, and camping. All of his kids will always remember the night they had a full view of the meteor shower directly from their campsite. He was often found telling the story of canoeing the Des Moines River in the middle of a tornado, with the funnel cloud directly overhead.
Memories continue with his reaction to the time Ollie's dog peed in his motorcycle helmet. It will surely never be forgotten.
Jim's favorite pastimes were ensuring his wife was the butt of every joke, constantly going out of his way to make sure those around him were laughing and smiling, and golf.
Jim enjoyed golfing and loved the opportunities he had to teach his family and friends the proper ways to golf. According to Jim, the official rules of golf include never look for a ball too long, using your foot as a wedge "foot wedge" does not count as a stroke, you always golf better with a cold beverage, and "if it sounds like a golf ball and looks like a golf ball, you must be golfing".
He is remembered as referring to his daughters-in-law as queens and was in agreement with Geri that if there was ever a disagreement between his sons and their wives, the girls are in and the boys are out. In recent years, his grandchildren became the priority of his life. Jim was the only one, aside from her mother, that could give his granddaughter Vivian a bottle.
Throughout his life Jim was always in service to others. He spent many years on the Otho Volunteer Fire Department. He was a very active member of the Knights of Columbus, and served for a time as the Grand Knight. Jim was sure to pass on that legacy of service to his children. He gave everyone who knew him, especially his sons, a great example of how to live a life of faith, service, and humility.
As Papa once said when he and Geri were joined in marriage, they pushed off in their canoe with their own separate oars. As they have gone through life having children and grandchildren, rowing through the rough waters life can bring, they have reached a point where Papa can take his oar from the water.
He lived a great and memorable life and will never be forgotten. In his final year, he was proud to have made it the entire year without a haircut and neither he, his long hair, nor any part of his life will ever fade from our hearts and memories.
In lieu of flowers and plants, please consider planting or donating a tree in Jim's memory.

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