James William Beatty

James William Beatty, 86, of Cromwell, died Thursday, May 16, 2013 in Essentia Health - St. Mary's Medical Center, Duluth. He was born in 1926 in Duluth, the son of William and Virginia Beatty. Jim served in the US Army during World War II. He married Gloria Heikkila on September 1, 1951 in Cromwell. Jim was a long time employee of Diamond Tool retiring in 1988. He loved to spend time with his family, especially his three grandsons, who were the light of his life. Jim will be remembered for his cheerful, kind, and helpful nature. Whenever his family would need something fixed, they could always call 1-800-DAD. Jim was great at telling jokes, enjoyed an occasional casino trip, and learned to play cribbage at the age of 84. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gloria; his parents; and siblings, Guy, John, Charles and Elizabeth "Betty Ann" Scarcella. Jim is survived by daughters, Susan (Tracy) Mahrer of Cromwell and Nancy (Cliff) Lind of Superior; grandsons, James (Liz), David, and Chris (Kelly); "special daughter", Gail (Albert) Johnson of Mahtowa; Godchildren, Troy and Todd Johnson and Diane Erickson; and foster grandchild, Nic Envall. The family would like to thank the staff of Cardinal Courts in Cromwell for their amazing care of Jim and a special thank you to Tammi Envall and Gail Dahl. Memorial Services were held on Thursday, May 23, 2013 in Atkins-Northland Funeral Home Chapel, 801 14th, Street, Cloquet, followed by a luncheon in the Fireside Room of the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the food shelf.