James McCrea

James Roger McCrea, better known as Jim, passed away on September 28th, 2026 after a brief battle with cancer. He moved on from this world to heaven peacefully and surrounded by his loving family.

Jim was the son of Paul and Darlene McCrea and born on May 12th, 1944, in Spencer, Iowa, where the family would welcome his sister Jan as well. They made their home in Eldora, where Jim played football and basketball in high school, delivered milk, worked on a friend’s farm, and participated in the Boy Scouts. The family made several trips to visit their grandparents in St. Louis, and Jim became a lifelong Cardinals fan. Jim graduated with his Bachelor of Arts from William Penn University in 1967. During this time, while serving on the state lake patrol in Coralville, his cousin introduced him to her roommate and love of his life, Joyce DeWall, who was working at the University of Iowa.

Joyce & Jim were wed on December 24th, 1967, in Dubuque, Iowa and then moved to Fort Rucker, Alabama, as Jim had been drafted into the Army. They would later welcome their daughter Robin and move back to Iowa after Jim completed his military service, where their sons Randall & Michael were born. The family would settle in the Iowa Great Lakes area where Jim’s grandparents and numerous extended relatives lived.

This move would lead Jim to a lifelong dedication to service, coaching youth sports, serving as a leader at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake and the Milford community and, most importantly, bringing together his family and friends. He enjoyed coaching youth sports for his kids’ softball, baseball and basketball teams, driving bus for several years for many Jr. High and High School events, and even helped out little children at Joyful Journeys later in life. He served his community on the school’s booster club and community center board, and served on numerous committees and leadership roles at Immanuel over the years, including Elder, President of the Congregation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Family was always a focus for Jim, and he always made sure there were opportunities to bring together loved ones, organizing annual reunions for different groups of families and friends or making road trips across Iowa and the United States to visit loved ones. That passion for family was most evident when Jim and Joyce would make the 22 hour drive multiple times every year to make sure they were with their two grandchildren for every birthday, Christmas and several other holidays and events over 20+ years. For Jim it was never a question of “if”, it was a question of “how”.

Jim was well known throughout the various communities he touched and never knew a stranger. It always amazed his family how he somehow always knew somebody who knew somebody who a random person they just met knew. It seemed that no matter where in the United States the family traveled, he had an uncanny knack for making connections

Jim had few things he loved in life, but he loved them completely, including golfing, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings and every Iowa Hawkeyes sport team. But most of all he loved his three children, his two grandchildren and especially Joyce, his wife of nearly 59 years.

Jim is survived by his wife Joyce McCrea, daughter Robin (Jan) McCrea, sons Randall (Mindy) McCrea and Michael (Andre) McCrea, granddaughter Grace McCrea, grandson John McCrea, and sister Jan Shafer. He is preceded in death by his father Paul, mother Darlene, father-in-law Henry, and mother-in-law Minnie, as well as numerous brothers- and sisters-in-law.

The family will be hosting a visitation on Friday, October 2nd from 5 – 7 at Turner Funeral Home in Milford, and funeral services and lunch will be held on Saturday, October 3rd beginning at 11 am at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Dress for the services will be golf casual with a Hawkeye theme in honor of Jim.

Memorials will be directed to Joyful Journey's scholarship program.