James "Jim" Barduson

James “Jim” Barduson

The nicest guy in the world, Jim Barduson, entered the Kingdom of Heaven on December 9, 2024.

James Allen Barduson was born in Appleton, Minnesota in Swift County to Truman and Maren (Crosby) Barduson on December 6, 1958. At the time of his birth the family resided near Danvers. He was baptized in the Big Bend Church and confirmed in his faith at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar. He missed being in his confirmation picture because of duck hunting.

Jim loved the outdoors, swimming in the water trough on the farm and in Grandma Crosby’s bathtub. He loved playing in the mud. At 22 months, as written in his baby book, “Jimmy will say anything, and talks constantly; having an older brother helps.” If you knew Jim well, you knew that he loved to visit. It was not unusual for him to take an 15 extra minutes to purchase his groceries because he would strike up a conversation with a cashier clerk he had never met before. This was much to the embarrassment of Joel and Neil.

Jimmy started his formal education in country school near Big Bend. His grandmother Lila Barduson was his first teacher. When he started his first day of school he said “hi grandma” and grandma had to gently explain that in school, she was Mrs. Barduson. Jim always carried his heart on his sleeve and if he was naughty and got scolded, his feelings were really hurt. The family moved from the farm near Big Bend to the big city of Olivia before settling in Willmar, Minnesota; but not before Jim became the “Bike Rodeo Champion of Olivia” at the age of 10. He graduated from Willmar High School in 1977 and graduated from the Willmar Area Vocational Technical School in 1980 with an Associate Degree in Mobile Communications Technology. Jim excelled in his field of communication technology and had a successful career as a Network Engineer. He was employed in Alexandria by Cellular 2000, Unicel and Verizon.

In 1979 Jim married Diane Hanson in Willmar. To this union two sons were born, Joel Adam and Neil Thomas. The family lived in Mankato before moving to the Alexandria area in 1997, settling on Lake Carlos. He instilled the love of aviation to Joel; father and son earned their pilot licenses together. He inspired the love of sports to Neil and father and son especially enjoyed a good round of golf together. Father and sons hunted, fished, golfed and shared time together in travels and adventures throughout their childhoods and beyond. 

Jim met Rachel in 1999 and on June 17, 2000 they were married on their dock on Lake Carlos. With this union Jim added three bonus kids to the mix, Sara, Kristin and Jeff.

Jim and Rachel loved all things “lake,” both finding serenity and excitement while in, on or near the water. He loved to swim, dive, sail, pontoon, fish and hunt on that beloved lake. He enjoyed 14 years of duck and pheasant hunting with Coco, his loyal chocolate lab. The couple loved road trips - both short (on the hunt for the best jalapeño poppers) and long (the perfect campsite). One of his favorite sayings was “Where’s the beach? The beach is that way.” This of course, while flexing his muscles and pointing to whatever beach he happened to be on. He loved to dive into the middle of the lake, never outgrowing the adrenaline rush of risk-taking. One of his favorite sayings was, “A guy could. Crazy not to.”

Jim and Rachel spent a few winters at Fort Myers Beach in their little camper and later on Venice Beach in Florida. Road trips in their camper led them all over the country. They were lucky enough to vacation in Hawaii and Alaska, and in May of 2023, they made a dream trip to the country of their heritage, Norway. Jim began golfing at an early age and occasionally took the “Barduson Open” trophy home. He would never admit it, but, he was a pretty darn good golfer.

Family and his Christian faith were of upmost importance to Jim. His legacy will be carried on through his children and his grandchildren. He loved being a grandpa more than anything else and longed to teach them fun things while inserting life lessons. His grandchildren include his namesake James Barduson, Ellie Barduson, Harper Olson and Gabriel Lee.

Jim is preceded in death by his father Truman Barduson; grandparents, Julien and Lila Barduson; and Wayne and Manda Crosby. He leaves behind his wife Rachel; mother, Maren Barduson; son Joel (Chelsea) and their children James and Ellie; son Neil (Kelsey); brother Steve (Cyndee) Barduson; sister Cindy (Greg) Hayhurst; stepchildren Sara Lee, grandson Gabriel Lee; Kristin Olson; and Jeff (Alix) Olson and grandson Harper Olson; nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A visitation to honor Jim will be held on Sunday, December 15 from 2 - 4 at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria. On Monday, December 16 a visitation will begin at 10 a.m. at the Calvary Lutheran Church in Alexandria, with a celebration of life service at 11 a.m. Lunch will be served at the church following the service.

May God bless the life and legacy of Jim Barduson.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 15, 2024, 2:00 - 4:00 PM at the Anderson Funeral Home.  Visitation will continue on Monday, December 16, 2024, 10:00 - 11:00 AM at Calvary Lutheran Church in Alexandria with a Memorial Service at 11:00 AM at the church.  In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to Luther Crest Bible Camp 8231 County Rd. 11 NW, Alexandria, MN 56308.