Obituary of James Haase

James Edward "Jimmy" Haase was born on August 12, 1941, in San Antonio, Texas to Herman August Haase and Evelyn Leona Mertz Haase, the 5th of their 10 children. At the ripe age of 13, Jim went to work in the family business, Mertz Sausage Company, as all his older brothers had done-- packing, driving, and delivering. One of Jim’s favorite stories to tell was that he and his brother, Bobby earned “a penny a pound” for their daily work, splitting the proceeds between the two of them. He graduated from Edgewood High School in 1959, went on to attend San Antonio College, and graduated from International Bible College (IBC) in 1963. Jimmy’s considerable vocal talents were recognized when he was selected to sing with the chorus in the prestigious San Antonio Opera Festival in 1960, an annual production held at the Municipal Auditorium. In 1961, Jim married Cynthia Barrow and they had 3 lovely children, Jason, Dawn, and Shea. In 1964, Jim began working at Metropolitan Life Insurance, and later returned to assist his father at Mertz Sausage for a time. Later in 1974, Jim moved the family to Kremmling and Idaho Springs, Colorado. He began working on tunnel excavation projects for the Operating Engineers Union, and he got together with one of his friends from IBC and started a church! After three years in CO, they returned to San Antonio to again be near family and friends. They attended Trinity Church where Jim sang with the church choir. Jim married his second wife, Pat in 1988, and became stepfather to Pat’s daughter Jo Anne. After a few years in San Antonio, Jim and Pat lived in Nashville for a brief stint, and then moved on to New Port Ritchey, Florida, where he worked with a friend, Norm, in the automotive parts business. In 2002, Jim and Pat moved to Frankfort, KY to be near their daughter, Jo Anne, and their first grandchild, Matthew. Jim and Pat were a wonderful addition to the Frankfort community where they attended Capital City Christian Church, sang in the choir and in the Christmas in Mayberry play a few years, and enjoyed time with their grandsons, Matthew and Nathan. They were fortunate to spend many holidays, special occasions, and other precious family times together. As he truly enjoyed learning, Jim decided to return to college and earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Kentucky State University, a great accomplishment that he achieved at the age of 75. Jim volunteered as a Salvation Army bell ringer and was a member of Capital City Christian Church. He was also ordained as a Deacon in 2009, at another church in Frankfort, where he met and became friends with Tina Smith and Jason Green. He mentioned that one of his favorite memories during his travels was enjoying a visit to the Holy Land Experience in Florida. One of his other favorite travel memories was going to see Niagara Falls with his good friend, Ellie. Jim always enjoyed playing card games, board games, and dominoes with family and friends. He adored playing pool and ping pong with his brothers, which often came along with cringe-worthy, eye-rolling Haase jokes and puns. When he played tennis, he had a mean backhand slice dropshot that frustrated many an opponent on the court. He was able to pass this shot down to his daughter, Dawn, who continues to use it to this day. Jim had an amazing memory and keen knowledge of automobile makes, models, and years. He could tell you the details of any car driving by. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family and friends, including return visits to San Antonio. He always enjoyed the incredible cookies and other goodies that his sisters, Martha, Debbie, and Patty sent from Texas made from their mama’s recipes. He appreciated all the phone calls, cards and time spent talking to his brothers Bobby, Tim, and Mick, and visits from Tim and Sue in the last year or so, which were some of his most cherished memories. On September 11, 2023, after almost a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer, Jim left Norton Hospital in Louisville at 4:30 pm, at the age of 82, to go right into the arms of Jesus. His daughter, Jo Anne, asked him to please say hello to Pat, Teenie, Ellie, and their other loved ones for her! For just shy of 24 years, Jim was married to Patricia Ann New (Coblin) Haase, who predeceased him in 2012. He is survived by his first wife, Cynthia, daughters Dawn Michelle Haase, Shea Celeste Haase Jackson (Mark), and Jo Anne Tingle (Scott); sisters Patricia Esparza, Martha Jackson (Michael), and Deborah Kennedy (Craig); brothers Robert "Bobby" James Haase (Susan), Timothy "Tim" Charles Haase (Sue), and Henry Michael "Mick" Haase; two grandsons, Matthew and Nathan Tingle; and cherished friends Tina Smith and Jason Green. He was preceded in death by his son, Jason Pierce Haase, his sister Mary Margaret Haase, and his brothers Jack Herman Haase and Thomas Herbert Haase. He is loved and missed by family and friends who were blessed to know him. He was truly one of the kindest, sweetest souls anyone ever met. A funeral service will be held at the Forks of Elkhorn Baptist Church at 12:00 pm on Friday, September 29th. Visitation will begin at 9:30 am.