James 'Jim' Lowell Panning

James "Jim" Lowell Panning was born on December 8, 1964, in Arlington, Minnesota. He was the son and eldest child of Lowell and Barbara (Griep) Panning. He was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Arlington, MN. Jim graduated from Arlington-Green Isle High School in 1983, and soon after began working at Versatil Incorporated in Minneapolis, where he was a valued long-time employee doing light industrial work. Later, Jim would make his career as a carpenter in northern Minnesota, most often partnering with his younger brother, Mike. Most recently, Jim and Mike worked as a team in the greater Brainerd area, driving to work together and coming home together since they lived on the same property.

Jim enjoyed fishing, hunting, and anything that meant spending time outdoors. Jim and Mike would often take yearly hunting trips with their friends to Nebraska, North Dakota, and Texas. Jim's greatest source of happiness, though, was spending time with his nephew, Wesley. Because they lived on the same property, Wesley would often walk over and spend time with Jim, or "Unc," as Wesley called him. Jim was patient, loving, and devoted to Wesley. It's hard to express the nature of the beautiful, special and wonderfully unique relationship the four of them shared. As Maggie (Flantz) Panning, Mike's wife, put it:

"Jim was like a third parent to Wesley. Whether it was sharing Wesley's big moments like learning to walk or eating his first foods or just the minutiae of daily life, Jim was a part of it all. If he wasn't there to witness something first hand he was the first person we told. He was infinitely proud of Wesley and loved him every bit as much as Mike and I do and Wesley adored him. Before Jim passed I told him that people say that it takes a village to raise a child and that we had our village, our little tribe.

Few siblings are closer than Mike and Jim were; they lived together for most of their lives, drove to work together each day, worked side by side, hung out in the evenings, hunted together, went fishing together; their best friends were nearly all mutual. There wasn't a part of Mike's life that was separate from Jim's. As Mike said, �Life will never be the same.'"

Jim passed away surrounded by family on Monday, May 21, 2018, at CentraCare Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota, at the age of 53 years, 5 months, and 15 days. He is survived by his sister, Anne Panning, her husband, Mark Rice, and their two children, Hudson and Lily; his sister, Amy (Panning) Hardel, her husband, Dan, and their three children, Morgan (Calvin) Krajco, Allison, and Lucas; his brother, Mike, sister-in-law, Maggie, and their son, Wesley, along with many dear and beloved cousins, aunts, uncles and close friends who have known Jim since childhood.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Lowell and Barbara Panning; his grandparents, Wilbert and Myrtle Panning, and Henry and Lucille Griep; and his cousin, Lance Panning.

Jim was a gentle, caring soul, good to all people, quiet with a shy smile, generous and understanding, and it's our hope that we may all take these beautiful qualities that Jim naturally possessed and offer them freely to those whose paths we cross, especially those who may be hurting and in need.

A memorial service to celebrate Jim's life is being planned for late June 2018.