James Arends

James Arends, 78, of Kerkhoven, died Thursday, June 9, 2022, at CentraCare Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar.

James Allan Arends was born September 16, 1943, in Willmar, Minnesota, to Arnold and Anna (Klinghagen) Arends.  He grew up and attended school in the New London area.  On December 14, 1963, he married Carol Johnson and they lived and farmed in the Pennock/Kerkhoven area.  In addition to dairy farming, Jim also worked as a seed corn dealer and rural mail carrier for several years.

Jim was a member of Salem Covenant Church and served on the Trustee Board.  He enjoyed gardening, hunting, fishing, and watching sports, especially wrestling, boxing, softball, and Twins baseball.  He also enjoyed feeding birds, deer and pheasants and watching them through the window.  He loved to go for drives to check out the fields, lakes, and implement dealerships.  Jim also loved searching for and collecting pedal tractors, antique tractors, fishing lures, and baseball cards.  He always was willing to help others and donated the majority of his garden’s produce to the Willmar Area Food Shelf and Hope for Our City.