James C. Bylenga

Loving brother, father, grandfather and friend, James C. Bylenga passed away August 16, 2024. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Karen. Jim was born in Grand Rapids, MI in 1956. He grew up in East Grand Rapids with a core group of friends from grade school with whom he was still close. In Ann Arbor, he met his wife Karen at the University of Michigan Freshman Orientation. Karen and Jim married in 1977 at Karen’s church in Traverse City, took a VW camper trip around the country, and then settled in Chicago where their daughter, Elizabeth, was born. While in Chicago, Jim traded on the stock options exchange while Karen worked at Elizabeth Arden. Shortly after their daughter was born in 1979, they moved to East Grand Rapids, MI. Then they had their son, Jace, about 2 years later. After the kids were off to college, Jim and Karen moved to Kalamazoo in 2002, where Jim lived the remainder of his life. Jim made some significant friends in Kalamazoo and was beloved by many in the community. In 2024, about a week before the two-year anniversary of his wife’s death, Jim’s grandson, named after him, Skyler James was born. Jim was a doting and excited grandpa. He was at the hospital the whole time after he was born, learned to swaddle, change diapers, and helped with recovery for many weeks. He used to sing “well hello Skyler” to his grandson in the tune of “Hello Dolly”. Jim lived his life with a kindness and generosity rarely seen. He was thoughtful beyond measure and cared deeply for his friends and family. His fun-loving nature, warmth and smile will be greatly missed. Services will be held on Sunday, October 6, 2024, at 3:00 pm EST at the First Congregational Church, 6105 Center Rd., Traverse City, MI 49686. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim’s memory can be made to the (Gilmore) Community Healing Centers. Checks can be mailed to 2615 Stadium Dr., Kalamazoo MI 49008, or made online at www.communityhealingcenter.org. Please make sure to mention Jim Bylenga.