James Foos

James G. Foos, 86, of Sandusky passed away Tuesday, March 9 surrounded by family at Firelands Hospital. He was born February 27, 1935 in Bellevue, Ohio the son of Leonard and Marjorie (Meese) Foos. He was married for 39 years to Michilena “Mickey” (Letizia) Foos who pre-deceased him on October 17, 2019.

 “You are only here for a short visit and my visit gets shorter every day” was a line Jim shared with others daily. He knew how to use every minute. He was a Friend of Bill W for the last 39 years, making a difference in so many lives. He exemplified the power of change.  If you were family or a friend of Jim's, you could always count on him for anything whether it was help around home, offering a listening ear, or providing some welcome counsel for whatever issue you might be dealing with at the time. Jim had a comfortable sense of what mattered in life and how he spent his time enjoying it. 

Jim began his career at a the age of 15 with the Nickel Plate, then Norfolk & Western, then the Norfolk & Southern Railroad, finally retiring after 45 years of service with many railroad stories. Jim never met a project or task he couldn't handle.  He built two homes, the first at the age of 19 for his young family. There are countless basements, fireplaces, and other masonry projects in the area that he completed for friends and family.  He was always there to help. Jim loved fishing for Perch all over Lake Erie.  There always seemed to be an ample supply in his freezer and his wife Mickey would cook them up for family and friends better than any restaurant in town. He truly believed the day's troubles could be easily solved with a trip to Toft's for ice cream and was always up for getting together for a breakfast out.  He enjoyed church festivals where he could experience different foods and meet new people.  He was a devoted fan of the Cleveland Indians.  Jim was athletic to the core, working out at the Y and recently Ernsthausen Center, another place to meet new friends and learn new things. He loved to make us laugh, especially the grand-kids when he took his teeth out.  So many more wonderful things that can be said, but the most important is, that he loved his family and friends very much and will be missed by all.

Jim is survived by his children -  Jamie (Michael, deceased) Delaney, Jacquie (James) Batchelder, Julie (Craig) Hedrick, and Thomas (Christine) Foos; stepchildren Denise (Leonard) Stitak and Peter J. (Christina) Amato Jr.

11 grandchildren - Paul (Jenny), Will, Jack, and Ross Batchelder, Hallie, Luke (Kaitlyn), and Ryan Delaney, Sam and Jake Hedrick, Alexandria and James Foos and 6 step-grandchildren Shawn (Jeff Terschak) and Jason (Carol) Stitak and Peter III, Anthony, Nicholas, and Lucas Amato.

His great-grandchildren - Evie and Cole Batchelder and step-great grandchildren Logan and Alexis Amato and Madelyn, Adam, and Noah Stitak.

Sisters - Mary Margaret Foos, SND, and Jane Kistler, sister-in-law Joan (Charles, deceased) Arroyo and many nieces and nephews. He dearly loved them all and they him.

In addition to his parents, Jim is preceded in death by his sisters Sister Anna Mae Foos and Louise Marsh and sisters-in-law Ann (Joseph) Beko, Mary (Alex) Yager, Molly (Harry) Brattin, Josephine Letizia; brother-in-law, James Letizia.

There will be a funeral Mass to celebrate Jim’s life on Friday, March 12 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 429 Central Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870. Covid mask and social distancing rules will apply. Or, you may join streaming on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jacquie.batchelder. Jim was honored to donate his body for medical education to the Cleveland Clinic Body Donation program.

In lieu of flowers we encourage donations in Jim’s memory to Victory Kitchen, St. Mary’s Church or your favorite charity.

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