James Demyan

When people think of James Demyan, they might think of a man who loved the holidays, Ikea’s Swedish meatballs, and free samples. Or, they might remember his big belly laugh, and the terrible jokes he used to tell. James’s jokes were so bad, that you just had to laugh, and he always cracked himself up as well – to say that he loved his own jokes was an understatement! What no one will ever forget about James, however, is his deep and unconditional love for his children. His children were his life, and he was never happier than when spending time with Nicholas, Stephanie, Collette, Joshua, and Jessica.

James was born on February 7, 1951, to proud parents Francis and Mary Demyan. The Demyan family lived in Detroit, Michigan, where Francis was a butcher and Mary a homemaker. James enjoyed taking photographs, and developed a love for photography that would last his whole life. He was also quite athletic, and played varsity football in his high school days.

After graduating from high school, James started a position in the petroleum industry in 1968. He worked himself up to operations manager, and would work for the same company his entire career. James was a hardworking, loyal employee, and managed many parts of the business.

As the years went by, James was delighted to become a father. He had five children – Nicholas, Stephanie, Collette, Joshua, and Jessica – and they were his whole life. Everything James did, from hobbies to vacations, always involved his family. Some summers, James and his family traveled to Haas Lake, where they camped out. James was what you could call a cautious driver – it was not uncommon to see him driving 25 mph in the 55 mph zone (in the fast lane)! He often took the “scenic route” home, driving out of the way to see the beautiful fall colors, decorations, or just to spend more time talking with the people in the car. Characteristically, James was usually more interested in talking than in paying attention to the exit he was supposed to take.

In his free time, James enjoyed working in his yard. He was also an avid bicyclist, and recently began biking across the state of Missouri on the Katy Trail. James loved taking his children on outings, and some of his favorite destinations were Costco and Sam’s Club. He would take them “out to lunch” at the superstores, where they could feast on all the free samples. They also have many happy memories of attending Detroit Lions games with their father. James was a big Lions fan – he loved all Detroit sports, but the Lions were his favorite (his favorite player was Barry Sanders). He also took great pleasure in watching his grandson play football. James attended all of his games in the last two years.

James really came into his own during the holiday season. He loved all the holidays, especially Christmas, and looked forward to Christmas movies, Christmas music, and Christmas decorations. He enjoyed driving around with his kids, looking at Christmas lights or Halloween decorations. He even had different coffee mugs and ice cube trays for each holiday season!

Friendly and fun-loving, caring and kind-hearted, James was above all else a loving and devoted father, grandfather, and brother. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his many friends and family members.

Mr. James Demyan died on December 5, 2012, at the age of 61. James was the loving father of Nicholas, Stephanie, Collette (Jeremy) Taylor, Joshua and Jessica; the dear grandfather of Jaden and Joslyn; and the dear brother of Liz, Ann Mary, Sandy (Ricky) Parks and Keith.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. on Monday at the Neely-Turowski Funeral Home, 30200 Five Mile Rd (between Merriman and Middlebelt). A Funeral Service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home. Interment will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Memorial donations may be directed to the DMC Children’s Hospital and Heart Research. Please visit James’s personal memory page at www.neely-turowski.com, where you can learn more about his life, share a favorite memory or photo, and sign the online guestbook.