James "Jim" Sudut

James Sudut

1/12/1936 – 3/20/2025

James “Jim” Sudut, 89, Rothschild, died on March 20, 2025, following heart complications three weeks prior.  He lived with his sister Judy Martin and her husband Mike for the past 18 months after moving from Eugene, OR, to be near family.  His wife of 63 years, Pauline, had preceded him in death three years previously.

Jim was born in Wausau (Riverview) along with five other brothers and four sisters.  In his early 20’s he moved from Wausau to Oregon, where he met and married Pauline.  They led a lifetime of adventure both in Alaska and Oregon homesteading 160 acres, trucking to the Alaska’s North Slope supplying the Valdez Pipeline, panning for gold, and raising up to twelve horses at a time for show and pleasure.  In Eugene they established a cattle and horse ranch, and later a horse ranch only.

Jim loved restoring Cadillac Eldorados of which he had three.  He was likewise an accomplished diesel mechanic, and a jack-of-all trades who could repair almost anything.  He always did the horse haying for himself and his neighbors in Eugene, and rarely lost out in negotiating hay price.  Frugal to a fault, St. Vincent de Paul was his favorite store.

If you played golf at Riverview VFW during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s and lost a golf ball over a blind hill, it was Jim and his buddy Kenny (last name withheld) who snatched it and then resold it for spending money to buy a fish fry on the back steps of the Wagon Wheel Restaurant.

Jim is survived by daughters, Kim (Dave) Sievers, Rudolph, and Becky Elliott, Alaska; grandchildren, David (Sarah) Babcock, Dustin (Samantha) Sievers, Shane (Mimi) Sievers all of the Wisconsin Rapids area, and Candace Mcllvain, Alaska.  His great grandchildren are Madison, Eli, Cale, Aliya, Noah, Naomi, Nathanael, Jacob, Aubre, Chance, and Blake.  A son, Steve Weeks, and a grandson Jacob Babcock predeceased him.  Siblings surviving Jim are his brother Terry Sudut, Alaska, and sisters Judy Martin, Rothschild, and Charleen (Tweet) Gutowski, Hatley.

Further recognition is gratefully given to Marion Sproul and her husband Randy, Jim’s neighbor in Eugene who looked after him following Pauline’s death. “Saint” Marion’s goodness allowed Jim to remain in his home in Oregon for much longer than he could have on his own.

Jim’s ashes will be spread per his desires.