James Norman Onsager was born in Stillwater, Minnesota on August 10, 1944.
Celebration of Life will be held Wednesday, March 4, 2015 in San Felipe, Mexico.
Interment will be July, 2015, Elim Lutheran Church Cemetery, Scandia, Minnesota.
James Norman Onsager, 70, of Perris, CA, passed away at 3:40 a.m. Thursday, February 5, 2015 at some dear friends’ home.
He leaves behind his wife of 37 years, Sandi; her three children, Robin Stickler, Sheri Gates and Marcia Redd; his daughter, Renee Onsager Deichman; and his son, Kirk Onsager.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Alma Onsager.
An innovative and entrepreneurial creator, he worked for many years at Medtronic in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1979 he moved to California where he worked for Coherent Inc. before starting his own company, Laser Machining Center, in San Jose, California. Jim had a natural talent for engineering, serving customers with needs as diverse as delicately etching silicon chips for Hewlett Packard to making motor mounts for Indian Motorcycles.
He retired at the age of 60, trading his Laser Machining Center for a villa in the balmy stretches of Baja California Norte near Puerto San Felipe. This allowed him to pursue his other passions in life: grilling on his back deck, deep sea fishing in the Sea of Cortez, and four-wheeling in the Scorpion Off-Road Club, of which he was president for three years. He was also a member and president for two years of the “Better Together in Christ” Christian group. This group was focused on the poor elderly in San Felipe, providing better housing conditions, food, medical supplies and cataract surgery. This group, Mission San Felipe, men’s Bible study and a trip to Israel is where his personal faith truly blossomed, leaving no doubt he has left this world for a far better place.
Jim was as stoic and driven in his pastimes as he was professionally. When diagnosed with esophageal cancer in spring 2014, he remained dedicated in his work and in his will to fight his illness. He remained a brave, iron-willed spirit, even throughout his final months, relocating to Perris, California, and a 41-foot fifth-wheel trailer that he optimized for all of the comforts of his El Dorado Ranch villa.
The family would especially like to thank dear friends Jill and Ken Reinstadler, who opened their home to Jim, and Larry and Caroline Dunn who tirelessly cared for him in his final days of hospice care; the staff of Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center for their constant, attentive treatment; and the Family Funeral Chapel, for making final arrangements. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Cancer Society.