James C. Wilkins

James Colehour Wilkins, 101, of Fargo, North Dakota, died on July 14, 2017.

James was born on October 12, 1915, in Battle Lake, Minnesota. The son of Ernest and Kathrina Colehour Wilkins. He attended the Battle Lake schools, graduating June 2, 1933. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, on June 7, 1937.

James was very active in Boy Scouts of America, attaining the rank of Eagle with 37 merit badges. He served as Assistant Scoutmaster of the Region 10 troop at the National Jamboree in Washington, D.C. and the World Jamboree in Vogelenzang, Holland in 1937.

He taught algebra and history and coached baseball and hockey for Wahpeton, North Dakota, High School from 1937 to 1939. He then attended Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, Boston, Massachusetts, from September 1939 to June 1940.

He graduated from the National Scout Executives Training School in New Jersey. He was employed as a Field Executive for the Saint Paul Area Council, Boy Scouts of America in Saint Paul, Minnesota, for one year.

He was employed by Moore Business Forms in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until he reported to the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School. He served as Supply Officer of the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion 46 on Guadalcanal and New Guinea in the South Pacific in 1943 and 1944. In 1944 he was assigned to duty as the Administration Officer of the Material Disposal and Redistribution Office in Minneapolis, until he was separated from active duty on February 22, 1946. He continued in the Naval Reserve for a total of 21 years, retiring from the Naval Service with the rank of Lieutenant Commander on October 12, 1975. He returned to Moore Business Forms as Sales Training Manager, Dealer Sales Manager and Sales Administration Manager for more than 30 years, serving in Minneapolis, Denton, Texas, and Park Ridge, Illinois.

James completed the requirements for a Master of Business Administration Degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, on June 17, 1967. In 1973, he took early retirement from Moore Business Forms to start a new career as Business Instructor for the Fergus Falls Community College located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. In 1991, he was awarded the Minnesota Community College Distinguished Faculty Award. He retired in 1994 at the age of 79.

James married Jean Marie Crossland on June 11, 1960, in Farmers Branch, Texas. In August of 1960, they were transferred to Park Ridge, Illinois, where he helped organize the new Central Division of Moore Business Forms. Jean and James had one son, James W. Wilkins, born on June 26, 1961, in Park Ridge. Jean died on September 4, 1996, in Fergus Falls and is buried near her parents in Dallas, Texas.

James married Clara O. Borstad on January 2, 1999, in Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Moorhead. They lived in Fargo, until 2007 when they moved to Spokane, Washington, where they lived until Clara died on December 1, 2011.

James married Judy I. Williams on October 13, 2012, in Fargo, where they enjoyed their later years together until Judy's recent death on July 12, 2017.

James was active in a number of organizations including serving as: President of the Fergus Falls Chamber of Commerce, President of the Fergus Falls Kiwanis Club, Governor of the Minnesota-Dakotas District of Kiwanis, President of the Moorhead Kiwanis Club, President of the Otter Tail County Geological Society, Treasurer of the Otter Tail County Historical Society, Member of the Board of Directors of the Fergus Falls United Way, Treasurer of the Otter Tail County Republican Club, President of the Lakewood Cemetery Association, Treasurer of the Battle Lake Shore Association, Vice President of the Resident Council of Touchmark on South Hill, Spokane. He was a member of the American Legion Post of Battle Lake, and a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Fergus Falls.

James was baptized in Battle Lake and became a member of the First Baptist Church of Battle Lake. He was the fourth generation of his family to become a member of the church.

He is survived by his son, James (Cindy) of Stillwater, Minnesota; and stepchildren: Gary Crossland (Carol) of San Antonio, Texas, Patricia Link (Gregg) of Farmers Branch, Texas, Marcia Borstad Smith of Spokane, Washington, and Karen Borstad of Boulder, Colorado, along with their five children and three grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Touchmark at Harwood Groves in Fargo, on Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at 2 PM. Interment will be in the Lakewood Cemetery, Battle Lake, on Thursday, July 20, 2017, at 11 AM.

(Korsmo Funeral Service, Moorhead, MN)
Online guestbook: www.korsmofuneralservice.com