James Michael Kielma, June 30 1970- April 13,2024, passed away in a single car accident in Oak Creek, WI. James was known by many names: Jim, MoparJim, Jimbo, Jamie, Goldfinger, Vanilla Thunder, Candy, 8 Ball, Hubby (of almost 30 years) to Maria. His most important name was Dad. He was Dad to Nikki (Theresa Dossett) and CJ (Cameron Kielma) as well as furdad to Bruce and Chuck. He was an unofficial foster dad, friend and role model to his many “adopted” sons. Born in Milwaukee, WI to Mary M. and James E. Kielma, he was an only child. When he married into Maria’s family he gained a wife and daughter as well as many in-law siblings that he considered actual brothers and sisters. He graduated from Nathan Hale High School and from Milwaukee School of Engineering with a hard earned degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked as an Electrical Engineer at the Chrysler Engine Plant in Kenosha, where he was known as Goldfinger as anything he touched appeared to fix itself. Most recently, he was a Major Projects Manager at Faith Technologies.

At 16, Jim bought his first car, and that sparked a lifelong passion for all things Mopar. In his lifetime, he owned over 130 vehicles, including but not limited to: boats, motorcycles, ATVS, and collector cars. He worked on every single one of them. He loved going fast. Anyone who has been in his car knew the huge grin he would get when he would launch, no matter what he was driving. We can take comfort in knowing he still has that grin on his face. 

Jim was also a gamer extraordinaire. If it was a challenging game, with strategy and a thick rule book, he was your guy. He was involved in and hosted many game nights and introduced many people to the experience. He was a fun DM and had patience for new or nongamers. He loved computer games as well, spending countless hours relaxing as he conquered galaxies or armies.

Jim knew how to do anything and wanted to share that knowledge with everyone. If you were a friend that he considered family, he would do anything for you. He made lifelong friends, some of whom he has known since childhood. He had a wicked sense of humor; he could never get embarrassed and he was always in on the joke. His gregarious personality made him a people magnet and he made friends with the crowd wherever he was. If it was standing in line at the grocery store, at a concert, or sitting in a pool in Jamaica, he would get everyone laughing and together. He wanted people to be close and support each other as family should. He loved to host his New Year Eve Karaoke extravaganza. He would would torture eardrums for hours wailing away music from the 80s to now. Every year he would practice a new love song to sing to Maria. He had such a captivating essence about him, even watching TV was a whole bit. He was often more entertaining than the show. His taste was eclectic but ran total nerd. He knew who he was, and walked extremely confidently through life. 

A celebration of Jim’s life will be held on May 4, 2024 at the South Pavilion at Konkel Park in Greenfield on 51st and Edgerton from 1-6pm. Everyone is welcome. Come and share your stories and show off your cars. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to https://gofund.me/39668d38 to help offset costs for the family. 

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