James M. Szerlag

James Szerlag, of Livonia, peacefully passed away on March 12, 2026, with family members by his side. He was born April 2, 1944, to Anthony and Frances Szerlag.

Loving husband to Diane; dear father to Dave (Diane) and Cindy Fuqua (Szerlag); beloved grandfather to Samantha, Adam, Brendan and Blake (Alli); and caring uncle to many nieces and nephews. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

James is predeceased by his parents, and his siblings, John (Marge), Art (Rose), Ron (Betty), Don (Claudia), and Rosemarie (Greg).

James, or Jim, as he was known to the family, was born in Detroit in 1944 and was the youngest of 5 children. Jim and Diane moved from their first home in Detroit to their forever home in Livonia in 1980. He spent the early years of his life working construction with his brothers, before he found a new passion for selling cars, right up until the time he retired. Retirement brought more time for Jim to enjoy his favorite sport, golf - a sport he enjoyed with his wife, his son, and then eventually his grandsons. Jim also had a 'need for speed' in his younger years, and enjoyed spending his weekends at Detroit Dragway, eventually winning NHRA's "Mr. Stock Eliminator". He passed down this exciting hobby to his next two generations - his son and his grandson. Jim also loved his quiet time at home; he and Diane shared a Saturday ritual of church, then dinner out, followed by a drink on the deck when the Michigan weather would allow. He enjoyed watching golf tournaments on the weekends, Michigan football, and he loved to hate the Detroit Lions, while secretly pulling for them to win. Jim was an amazing father to Dave and Cindy, and bragged about his "favorite daughter in law" Diane; but his love for his four grandchildren ascended everything else. As great of a father as Jim was, he was an even better 'Gramps'. He attended their baseball games, hockey games, all four high school graduations, a college graduation and his first grandson's wedding. He cherished his only granddaughter, and loved to hear her bowling scores every Tuesday night when she would call and give him the report. Whether his grandkids were in Michigan or Tennessee, he was there for everything for them, and their bond was, and will always be, beautiful.

Everyone who knew Jim knows he was a very funny guy; his one-liners and silly sayings will live on in infamy with his kids and grandkids repeating them in good spirit, even if we thought they were 'cringe' when he said them while we were growing up.

Jim and his wife Diane celebrated 60 years of marriage one month ago on February 5th - little did we know that it would also be a beautiful celebration of his life. How lucky he was, and we were, to have that celebration with him there, vibrant and funny as ever, enjoying his wedding anniversary, his entire family, and a cold Miller Lite. He was a great man, he lived a great life, and he surrounded himself with a great family; he will be missed, loved, and honored everyday.

Visitation for James will take place Wednesday, March 18, from 2:00 - 8:00PM; there will be a Rosary Prayer at 7pm; Neely-Turowski Funeral Home, 30200 Five Mile Road, Livonia, MI 48154.

Instate, Thursday, March 19, at 9:30AM until the time of Mass at 10:00AM at St. Colette Catholic Church, 17600 Newburgh Rd. Livonia, MI 48152.