NEW ULM — James “Jim” Henry Zahn, age 76 of New Ulm died unexpectedly of natural causes on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at the Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

An open house gathering of family and friends will be held from 2-4 pm on Saturday, September 12, 2020, at his home at 2121 Center Street in New Ulm.

A private family burial service will happen at a later date.

The Minnesota Valley Funeral Homes of New Ulm are assisting the family with arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for the family, or to sign the guestbook, go to: mvfh.org

Jim is survived by his wife, Debbie Zahn of New Ulm; his daughters, Stacy (Scott) Scheid of Courtland, Kristin (Jon) Bleick of New Ulm, Megan Zahn of New Ulm, Lyndsey (Keith) Beranek of St. George, Krystal (Joe) Loula of St. Peter; his grandchildren, Luke and Molly Scheid, Nick and Gabbie Bleick, Jared, Chloe, and Morgan Beranek, Ashlyn, Kaelyn, and Claire Loula; his mother, Erna Zahn of New Ulm; his sisters, Marley (Richard) Kuckhahn of New Ulm, Christine (Bruce) Heckmann of Menasha, WI; his brother, Ron (Joan) Zahn of Wrightstown, WI; his sisters-in-law, Belle Zahn of Pennsylvania, Myrna Zahn of Wisconsin; and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his father, Meilahn Zahn; and his brothers, Richard and David Zahn.

James “Jim” Henry Zahn was born March 21, 1944 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin to Meilahn and Erna (Miller) Zahn. He was a 1962 graduate of Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, Michigan. After high school, Jim joined the Minnesota National Guard. Jim’s first marriage was blessed with three daughters. On May 18, 1991, Jim was united in marriage to Debra “Debbie” Kral. He was fortunate enough to gain two more daughters through this union. Together they made their home in New Ulm where Jim was able to express his love and passion for building hot rod cars. Early in his career he worked at 3M, and then in concrete and home construction before starting a full-time career in hot rod building in the late 80s. This led to him earning several awards and national notoriety in the area of street rod cars. Besides his love for cars, Jim also had a lifetime love of sports. He participated in city league fast pitch softball and basketball. He also coached football at DMLC in the 90s. Over the years, Jim rarely missed cheering for his daughters’ or grandkids’ games.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.

https://www.nujournal.com/obituaries/2020/09/09/james-jim-henry-zahn-2/