James Lair, 62, Burnsville
Published 12:00 am Thursday, July 6, 2006
Funeral services for James R. Lair, age 62, of Burnsville, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 8, at the Church of St. Theodore. The Rev. Jim Berning and Deacon Mike Ellis will officiate. Interment will be in St. Theodore’s Cemetery, with military honors accorded by area servicemen’s organizations. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 7, at the Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home, with a prayer service at 7:30. Visitation will also be one hour prior to the time of the service at the church on Saturday.
Jim died on Monday, July 3, 2006, at the Albert Lea Good Samaritan Center where he had been a resident for several years.
James Richard Lair was born on Oct. 31, 1943, in Albert Lea, the son of James &8220;Pat&8221; and Verliss (Lofthus) Lair. He grew up in Albert Lea and graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1961. Jim continued his education at Mankato State University. During the late 1960s, Jim served as an MP in the U. S. Army in Alaska. On March 27, 1981, he was united in marriage to Linda Beyer in Minneapolis. Jim was employed in the field of Human Resources. He was a member of St. Edwards Catholic Church in Bloomington and a Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Gopher fan.
Survivors include his wife, Linda of Burnsville, his children: Heather and her husband Daniel Harms and their children Haley and Ty of Albert Lea, Allison Derck of Fitchberg, Wis., and Brian Derck and his wife Vivienne of Las Vegas, Nev.; his parents, James and Verliss Lair of Albert Lea; siblings: Jerald and wife, Linda Lair of Rochester, Dennis and wife, Kay Lair of Medford, Ore., Tom Lair of Kansas City, Mark and wife, Audrey Lair of Ames, Iowa, Linda and husband, Jay Radue of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Loren and wife, Jane Lair of Hayward; as well as the many others of the &8220;Lair Clan.&8221;
Jim’s family would like to thank the Good Samaritan Center and Dr. Bev Lombardi for their care for Jim, as well as Dr. David Knopman for his work in the field of Pick’s Disease, from which Jim suffered for many years.
Memorials are preferred to the University of Minnesota Family Care Center or the Albert Lea Good Samaritan Center.