James Anthony Ostendorf

June 19, 1948 – April 13, 2020
Age 71 of Inver Grove Heights, passed away on April 13, 2020, after a valiant fight against lung cancer. “Jimmy” brightened every room he walked into with a smile, hearty laugh, and an attentive ear. He marched to the beat of his own drum, made clear by spontaneous road trips and all-day cooking extravaganzas. An adventurer at heart, his goal was to explore the world on his own time and with the people he loved most. He is survived by his wife Gerianne; children Michael Thomas (Stacy), Heidi Miller (Brooks), and Brooks (Jillian); grandchildren Joshua and Lauren Thomas; and his loving dogs, Poe and Rosie. A jokester in sickness and in health, he requested his tombstone read “I told you I was sick!”. A Celebration of Life will take place on a later date, TBD. (Published in the Star Tribune on April 16, 2020)