James J. Talaga

James "Jim" Joseph Talaga, beloved husband, son, brother, father, papa, cousin, uncle, and friend passed away peacefully, Saturday, July 31, 2021. The loving son of Floyd and Anna (Kaczmarczyk) Talaga, who preceded him in death, Jim was born on October 15, 1935, in Bay City.  He was married to the love of his life, Dorothy (Zielinski) Talaga, for almost 64 wonderful years.
Jim spent his life in service to others, starting with a tour of duty in the Air Force during the Korean War.  He retired from the Bay County Parks and Recreation after many years of service. Jim also spent countless hours assisting his family on many projects - if you needed him (and you had enough band-aids) he would be there.
Jim had a profound love for music, especially polka music.  He played the accordion for many years and had his own polka band - Jim's Trio.  He faithfully listened to the Polka Hour each week.  In addition to spending time with family, Jim enjoyed "going for a ride" to any casino as well as daily scratch-off tickets.
Jim will be dearly missed.  Left to cherish his memory are:  his wife, Dorothy; son Kenneth (Dawn) Talaga; daughters Shari (Gary Endline) Bernelis and Patti (Dan) Sasiela; brother Victor (Betty) Talaga; 7 grandchildren (and their spouses); 20 great-grandchildren (and their significant others); and several nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents, Jim was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Mary Josephine, and brothers Robert, Raymond and Jeep (Fred) Molnar.
The family will be present to receive visitors Tuesday, August 3 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Gephart Funeral Home, 201 W. Midland Street.  The funeral mass will take place on Wednesday, August 4, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Peace Parish, 607 E. South Union Street. Family will receive visitors at the church at 10:00 a.m. prior to mass.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation for the family's wishes.  The family would like to give a special thank you to special neighbors Tim and Cathy Sujkowski and to the McLaren nursing staff on 5 East, the McLaren respiratory therapists, Bangor Township Fire Department, Dr. Kamaraju, Justin and all those who participated in his care.