James Lowell Wells

James Lowell Wells, 62, of Portage, passed away Thursday March 12th, 2020 at 6:48 a.m. James was born on May 29th, 1957 in Watervliet Michigan to James Wells and Thelma (Guiles) (Wells) Mathis. He went to Oceanside Union Schools in California starting grade five after moving from Illinois. Growing up in California, his most enjoyed activity was surfing. James moved back to Michigan and ultimately met Jacqueline and they married in the 90's. Having four children definitely kept them on their toes. His children are Tabitha, Phillip, Timothy and Krystle. He was a master at everything he did, a jack of all trades if you will. His friends and family often called him Jim or Jimmy or Pops and his wife loved calling him Bodee. He worked for Asplundh Tree Expert most of his life, he loved his work and often could bring the children on odd jobs which everyone enjoyed. The family moved to Paw Paw where James and Jacqueline raised their children and of course you can't forget the animals. He loved going fishing on the lake and was definitely an outdoors kind of man. When it came to splitting wood, James and the children would make it a group effort and have fun while doing it. He loved getting his hands dirty and wasn't afraid of hard work! James’ children say that he left them with a lifetime of memories and was a very caring and loving man. He would often bring home his bucket truck from Asplundh just because he knew it would make the kids happy. He was truly a wonderful man and will be missed dearly. James is survived by his children, Tabitha Wells of Benton Harbor, Phillip (Chrissy) Wells of Benton Harbor, Timothy Wells of Portage, and Krystle (Andrew) Walterhouse of Union City; his sisters, Susan (Edward) Ryan of Florida and Rhonda Reeve of Holland; his step father, Richard Mathis; his nine grandchildren, William, Ariel, Stephanie, Mariah, Kyliegh, Joshua, William, Lorali, and Jayson. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jacqueline; his brother, Michael; his sister, Carolyn; his father, James and his mother, Thelma. A celebration of life for James will be held at a later date to be determined.