James Battles Obituary

James Ellis Battles

October 28, 1939 - July 31, 2025

James Ellis "Jim" Battles, 85, of Lake County, Indiana, passed away on July 31, 2025.

Born on October 28, 1939, in South Bend, Indiana, Jim was the son of James and Lucinda "Cindy" Battles. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister and brother-in-law, Sally and Donald Conrad; brother Gary; infant sister, Mary; and his niece, Kathy Minix.

Jim is survived by his former wife, Elizabeth Bussell; his sister-in-law, Kathryn "Elaine" Battles; his daughter, Jennifer (Mark) Hansen and grandchildren Katherine and Michael; his son, Andrew Battles and grandchildren Alexis, Samantha, and Jackson; his loyal dog, Pretty Plum; and many other family members and friends who will miss him deeply.

Jim grew up on his family's farm in Penn Township, Indiana, where he learned the value of hard work and building a life with your own hands. He raised his own family on a farm in North Liberty, Indiana, and remodeled every home he ever lived in. He had a deep love of learning, graduating from Indiana University with a degree in Philosophy, and studying Political Science at the University of Arkansas before taking a position there as an Assistant Professor of Military Science.

He was a Vietnam War veteran, served in the 10th Special Forces Group, commanded a company in the 82nd Airborne, and cracked codes for the CIA. He completed tours in 13 countries, and was awarded the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm. After 31 years of service in both enlisted and officer ranks, active duty and Army reserve, Jim retired as a Lt. Colonel with full honors in 1989.

If Jim had a personal philosophy, it was that exercise could solve almost every challenge life could throw at you. Meeting or beating the 100% level of the US Army physical fitness standards was a requirement for anyone in his household, and he was fiercely proud of his ability to outperform anyone in any unit he served in. As he grew older, he achieved his goal of doing as many sit-ups and push-ups on his birthday as his age. Jim competed in IronMan competitions and half marathons, and completed the full 94-flight Hustle Up the Hancock stair climbing event in 2017 - 2020. He loved to walk his dog twice a day, every day, no matter the weather. While he craved the exercise and outdoor air, he got the most joy from seeing his neighbors and especially the children along his route, who loved to come pet Pretty Plum and tell Mr. Jim how they were doing in school.

At his core Jim was a competitor, and family gatherings invariably involved playing card games, sometimes spades or hearts, but the favorite was always euchre. Countless late nights were spent at Nana's house playing 4-person straight, or 6- or 8-person bid euchre with multiple decks. He kept his mind sharp with code-cracker puzzles and memory games, and he would never miss one of his regular backgammon matches with close friends.

If you - like Jim - believe that you have blessings to share, please consider volunteering your time to help others. His personal passion was Buddy Bags, an organization in Crown Point that provides a weekly bag of food for children from homes with food insecurity to carry them through the weekend. The program serves over 850 food insecure students in twenty-three schools across four school districts, and they rely on volunteers to pack the bags and transport them to the schools.

As a final act of service, Jim donated his body to the Indiana University School of Medicine, to benefit health science education and health care in Indiana.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Parkinson's Foundation to help fund their mission to improve care and advance research toward a cure.