James Eugene Leighty

Funeral services for James E. Leighty, age 59 and Connie M. Leighty, age 58, of Ida Grove, will be held on Saturday, June 01, 2019 at the Old Town Vineyard of Ida Grove from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM with a time of sharing at 3:30 PM.

James Eugene Leighty, 59, died Sunday, April 7, 2019 at his home from an unexpected heart attack.  He was born May 29, 1959 to Keith and Loretta (Winget) Leighty in Sioux City, Iowa.

Jim was the third of seven children and attended Sergeant Bluff-Luton Senior High School with the class of 1978.  He was united in marriage to Connie Mathis on May 2, 1987 in Rapid City and this May they would have celebrated 32 years.  He and Connie were best friends, soul mates, and inseparable.

Jim served in the Air Force for over 15 years, earning several honors including the Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and the National Defense Service Medal.  During his service, he served in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm and built a woman’s shelter in California.

Following his service, he earned a degree in woodworking and started his own cabinet making company.   He most recently was working at Gomaco Corporation in Ida Grove where he did woodworking in the trolley division.

Jim is survived by his daughter, Heather (Clint) Conover of Ida Grove, IA; son, Jamey Fraser of Florida; grandchildren, Christian (Melissa), Alexia (Brandon), Grant and Ty; great-grandson, Lincoln; siblings, Tina (Ron) Stone of Sioux City, IA , Wrenn (Ron) Leander of Rapid City SD, Monica (Craig) Stinger of Sioux Falls, SD, Clint “Peanut” Leighty of Woodward IA, Cliff (Mihui) Leighty of Jeffersonville IN, Ken (Shannon) Leighty of Nevada, IA; cousin, Marvin Castle of Sioux City, IA; and a host of other family and beloved friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and wife, Connie.

His family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who have extended their love, support, and kindness during this tragic time of losing both Connie and Jim in such a short time.  Though they are together again and at peace, we grieve our loss and miss their presence every day.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the family in loving memory of Jim.