James Gordon Straka

October 10, 1948 – November 20, 2020
Age 72 of St. Paul Passed away on November 20, 2020 after a lengthy illness. James (known as Jamie to his family and Jim to most everyone else) is predeceased by his parents Herman and Charlotte Straka, and is survived by his sister Carolyn Gifford (Carl); brothers David (Leslie) and Paul; nieces Katherine and Anne Gifford; nephews Peter and Benjamin Straka; and his beloved cat Sheldon. Jamie was born and raised in St. Paul, growing up in the House of Hope Presbyterian Church, attending Ramsey School and Central High School, and graduating from Macalester College before earning his PhD in Biochemistry from Utah State University. He married Jean Rovelstad in 1985; they had been divorced for a number of years at the time of his death. Jim’s career included a faculty position in the Chemistry Department at Macalester, as well as lab positions at the U of Minnesota Hospitals, the St. Paul Police Department and Pace Analytics. Jim was an accomplished musician, serving as substitute organist in local churches, playing French horn in orchestras such as the Rochester Symphony and the Mississippi Valley Chamber Orchestra (of which he was also Assistant Conductor), and conducting local productions of Broadway-style musicals. Jamie loved spending time with his siblings, parents and other family members, particularly if the gathering involved listening to recordings for hours on end or going fishing Up North. He was an avid and knowledgeable birdwatcher. He will be remembered by his loved ones for his kind and gentle personality, his intelligence and his clever (and at times good-naturedly teasing) sense of humor. There will be a private interment, and no memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the National Audubon Society or to the Lewy Body Dementia Association. (Published in the Pioneer Press on December 6, 2020)