Jim's obituary
The world lost an adventurous spirit when Jim Luckhardt left us on April 11, 2025. Jim was a life-long resident of Sonoma County, born at Memorial Hospital on Dec. 2, 1951 to Bill and Dorothy Luckhardt and graduating from Santa Rosa High (Class of ’70). His youthful adventures with his sisters often left them sunburned and late for dinner. After graduating from Chico State, he built his career in employee benefit consulting, starting his own business, Luckhardt Benefit Consultants, in 1994. He was a longtime member of the Redwood Empire Estate Planning Council.
Jim was a devoted father to two daughters, Courtney and Jenna. He took them camping in the redwoods and skiing in Tahoe, taught them the name of every creature in a tidepool, and fostered his own adventurous spirit in both of them, which will live on. He was a loving husband to his wife Kassie, and they were in each other’s lives for nearly forty years, married for 21. They were great partners in love, work, and life. Jim loved the outdoors, picking up new hobbies every few years: windsurfing, abalone diving, kayaking, biking, rock climbing, sailing, and scuba diving.
Jim enjoyed retirement, biking with his friends of 30 years, visiting his daughters in New Orleans, and scoring good deals on Harvest Festival wines. He loved being a grandpa, teaching a new generation the name of every tree and bird and its life cycle. He is deeply missed.
He is survived by his wife, Kassie, his daughters Courtney Luckhardt, Jenna (Dave) Luckhardt-Jackson and grandson Declan, and his step-sons, David (Chelsea) Kolarik and their son Ollie, and Mark (Alexandra Reidelberger) Kolarik and their son Nathan. He is also survived by his three sisters and their families, Donna (Bob) Joslyn, Sarah (Matt) Weinberg, and Debbie Luckhardt.
A Celebration of Life will be held at VJB Cellars in Kenwood on Sun., June 1, 2025 at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in his name to the Sonoma Land Trust. RSVP at https://everloved.com/life-of…