James E. Stahly, 79, Warsaw, died Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Lutheran Hospital Fort Wayne.

He will forever be remembered as a gentle and kindhearted man who loved IU basketball (his IU sweatshirt bearing the proof of this love), his family and finishing text messages with his favorite green heart emoji.

Jim Stahly

Born in Warsaw on Nov. 8,1943, to Velma Stahly, Jim is survived by his children, Shelly (Mark) Aker (Stahly) and Jason Stahly; by his stepchildren, Duane Davis, Greg (Tonya) Davis, Jennifer Lease (Davis) and Dale (Krista) Davis; 13 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother, his wife, Sharon Stahly, and his son, Mike Stahly.

Jim was a member of the Warsaw Masonic Lodge No. 73 and recently received a 50-Year Award of Gold for his service to the fraternity. He was also a member of the Elks Lodge, and he served as a journeyman layout man for more than 40 years at R.R. Donnelley.

There, he met Sharon, his loving wife of 31 years. Together, they hosted family holidays, traveled and tackled home projects small and large for themselves and others. Jim also served his community through meal delivery for Kosciusko Community Senior Services.

Lovingly nicknamed “Jimbo” by his children, he loved tools, and his collection could rival that of most hardware stores. This came in handy during his younger years when he could be found wrenching on motorcycles for his oldest son’s weekend motocross
races. Recent shopping trips with Jimbo for gadgets and tools will always bring warm memories and smiles to our faces.

Jim rarely missed “Margarita Sunday” lunches with family. He also enjoyed a good Rob Roy and sitting lakeside on Lake Tippy with a piña colada. Though soft-spoken, his competitive side came alive when playing cards, dominoes and marbles. He enjoyed
collecting coins, magnets, key chains and paperweights, and his grandchildren thought this was so cool.

Jim was proud of his family and was always ready to lend a hand. He will be dearly missed. Having wanted to read and approve of his obituary, we hope this send-off would have made him proud of himself and what he meant to our family.

Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, at McHatton-Sadler Funeral Home, Warsaw. The funeral service will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 9. Pastor Dereck Fields will be officiating the service. Jim will be laid to rest in Leesburg Cemetery.

To sign the guestbook or send a condolence to the family, please visit www.mchattonsadlerfuneralchapels.com.