Jim Thulesen

Jim was born on May 12th, 1928 in Miles City, Montana to Pete and Eleanor (Jurica) Thulesen, the second of three children. He spent his growing up years on the family ranch in the Powderville Montana area on Corral Creek doing many of the things a country boy would do in the 30s & 40’s like riding around the countryside with his brother, Jerry on their horse “Snip” using him as a diving platform in the reservoirs and digging out coyote pups.
He attended all eight grades at the Corral Creek School built by his father just one mile from home. He attended high school in Miles City finishing early each spring in his junior and senior years to help with the planting of spring crops.

Jim married Betty Lou Robinson in 1950. From this union were born David, Dick, Karen, Steven, and Elizabeth. They farmed and ranched the original 9 sections of land until 1974 when it sold and they moved to Miles City where Jim started a construction company with his oldest son, Dave. In 1989 he semi-retired to do all forms of metal work as a hobby – machining model engines, old car restoration, and the casting and foundry work that he learned associated with the forming of miniature engines and tractors. Despite having large hands, he was very skilled with detail work and made many miniature models on the 1/24th scale. Everyone knew him as an excellent craftsman in metal and wood.

After the death of his youngest son to Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2000, Jim and Betty Lou moved to Sheridan near their youngest daughter, Libby. Jim spent summers exploring the Bighorn Mountains on his 4-wheeler keeping a couple of old gas station hot dogs wrapped in tin foil in a coat pocket for nourishment. In 2005 they moved to Newell, SD near their other daughter, Karen. In 2013, they moved back to Sheridan to be near doctors they liked. It was in Sheridan on April 14th, 2023 that Jim passed away after a battle with colorectal cancer at 94 years old. He was preceded in death by his parents and son, Steve. He is survived by his wife Betty Lou, sons David (Lynn) and Dick (Thi Ha Loan); daughters Karen (John Brennan), and Libby (Mike Morris), 5 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, and his siblings Ina McRae and Jerry Thulesen.

A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, April 28th, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Grace Bible Church in Miles City. Interment will follow at Custer County Cemetery. In lieu of flowers should friends and family desire a gift in Jim’s memory, please give to “Team Vanuatu” in the care of Grace Bible Church in Miles City.