James William Wandke

James William Wandke, 64, of Great Falls, passed away July 16, 2021, after a courageous battle with cancer. His celebration of life will be July 23, 2021, at Trinity Lutheran Church at 2:00 p.m. followed by a burial at Highland Cemetery and a reception to follow at the Elks lodge. There will also be a viewing on Thursday, July 22, 2021, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Schnider Funeral Home. James was born in Great Falls on June 10, 1957, to Bruce and Betty Wandke. He graduated from CMR High School in 1975. He married his wife of 41 years, Tonya Kelleher on August 9, 1979. They welcomed two daughters, Trinity in March 1983 and Lindsay in May 1986. Jim and Tonya purchased One Hour X-tra Clean in 1981. He worked beside his wife for 40 years. Jim enjoyed being a business owner and took pride in the work he did. He enjoyed working with all of his customers. He saw most of them on a weekly basis. Jim and Tonya retired in February of 2020 after 40 years of ownership. Jim enjoyed the great outdoors. While raising his daughters they were always found outdoors boating, camping, or fishing.Jim was always up to date on the most recent news so if you ever needed to be updated on the news, you just had to ask. What brought Jim the most joy was his grandchildren. He was often found cheering them on at their football games, wrestling meets, gymnastics competitions, dance recitals, and any event in which they participated. Most recently in his retirement, he enjoyed spending time with his wife and family camping in Wolf Creek. Jim was preceded in death by his father, Bruce Wandke. He is survived by his mother, Betty Wandke; wife, Tonya Wandke; daughters, Trinity (Chris) Legg and Lindsay (Adam) Rudolph; brother, John (Michelle) Wandke; sisters, Gloria Spangelo and Jane (Steve) Green; grandchildren, Kenzie Legg, Kolter Legg, and Addison Rudolph; and numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom adored him.