James Henry Heltzel was born June 27, 1916 in Powell, South Dakota, the son of William Henry and Ruth (Lindgren) Heltzel. He attended rural school at Powell. He worked for area ranchers and the C.C.C. in the Black Hills. Later Jim went to Seattle and worked in the ship yards until he entered the Army in August 1942. While in the Army, Jim served in Africa and Europe. He received the expert rifleman decoration, good conduct ribbon, African-European-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon, and the Victory Ribbon. He was honorably discharged from the Army hospital at Brigham City, Utah on November 23, 1945.

Jim was united in marriage to Thelma Patton on June 11, 1950. They made their home eleven miles east of Philip where they farmed until 1955 when they moved into Philip. While in Philip, he worked for Dorothy Brothers and then for Hap Dorothy at the 66’ Station until 1966. Jim worked for many years as a city policeman. He then worked for the county and later the State Highway Department until retiring in 1981. After his retirement, Jim continued his star rural mail route, which he had from 1956 to 1999, covering Kadoka to South Creek from 1956 to 1999.

Jim was a member of Wheeler-Brooks American Legion Post #173 of Philip for over fifty years, a charter member of the Philip V.F.W., a member of the Bad River Senior Citizens of Philip, and a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Philip.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife Thelma Heltzel of Philip; four sons, John Heltzel and his wife Carol of Philip, Don Heltzel and his wife Sue of Philip, David Heltzel of York, Nebraska, and Tom Heltzel and his wife LeAnn of Emery, South Dakota; five daughters, Marie Pederson and Butch Murner of Black Hawk, Carol Lipp and her husband Pat of Rapid City, Beth Davidson and her husband Dan of Boise, Idaho, Wendy Heltzel and Jim Olkowski of Spokane, Washington, and Nancy Heltzel of Lincoln, Nebraska; seventeen grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one brother Philip Heltzel and his wife Maggie Lou of Washougal, Washington; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Jim was preceded in death by one son Patrick James Heltzel in 1966; his parents; three brothers, Kenneth, LeRoy, and Gene; and two brothers and one sister in infancy.

Visitation was held 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 25, with a vigil service at 7:00 p.m. all at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Philip.

Mass of Christian Burial for James "Jim" Heltzel, age 86, of Philip was held 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 26, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Tony Grossenburg as celebrant.

Interment with military honors by the Wheeler-Brooks American Legion Post #173 of Philip was at the Masonic Cemetery in Philip.