James Kuralt

James Leland Kuralt

January 30, 1945 ~ June 3, 2021

My Sweetheart, Father, Grandfather, Friend and Teacher returned home to his loving Heavenly Father on June 3, 2021 due to complication of heart surgery. James Leland Kuralt, 76, was the fourth son of seven children to Florence Nightingale Kuralt and Richard M Kuralt. He attended Oceanside High School, and graduated with the senior class of 1965. He joined the USAF and transferred to Hill AFB Utah. He married Patricia Kuralt, they had three children and later divorced. He met the love of his life and soul mate, LoriAnn Kuralt and they just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary. They lived in Hooper where he loved the fresh air and quiet living.

He held a full-time career with HAFB as a civilian for 46 years working in various career fields as bowling center manager, MWR manager and Logistics Manager, retiring Jan 2012. He always had a love for bowling and did bowling maintenance work for 60 years. He loved competing in bowling leagues and free time bowling with the guys playing for “champion of the world” bragging rights. He began a part time career just out of high school in Oceanside NY, then after being transferred to HAFB in Aug 1965 he continued his career at the HAFB Bowling center. He also has worked in Brigham City Bowl, Storm Bowling Factory in Brigham City and his current position at Rush Bowling center as a bowling mechanic. He has seen many wonderful changes over the years and loved telling stories about them. He loved to learn, and research and especially teach others how to maintain the bowling machine backends. He never took shortcuts when it came to his machines he taught by example. He would ask the person he was training questions, and let them figure it out, and then he would give his approval or teach them the correct way. He would spend hours trying to figure out a problem and often times slept on it. He would wake in the morning saying “I know what it is.” He was called the bowling whisperer, he could listen to bowling machines run and know right away what was broken, and he could look and see what others could not. He loved to tell people that he “works in when he wants, leaves when he wants and gets paid what he wants” he was simply the best.

Jim loved vacations with his sweetheart, they have been on seven cruises, traveled to Rome, Costa Rica but his real enjoyment was their NASCAR races together, cheering on their favorite driver #9 and camping. Jim always said, “we like to camp but we don’t rough it” almost every weekend we were at the campground and enjoying family and playing cards. He also enjoyed feeding “his humming birds” and watching them eat the juice he made for them. We discovered “movie night” at the campground setting up a big screen projector and sitting around the fire. Jim was known as the “satellite guru” at the campground, any problems, he was the go-to man. Jim and LoriAnn loved every moment of their life together always holding hands, telling each other how much they loved each other, they did everything together. We could spend every moment together, he always said “I just want to be with my sweetie.” His last words in this life were to his sweetheart “I love only you”.

The most important accomplishments in Jim’s life was being a loving, loyal and caring husband to LoriAnn and raising two families. He had a heart of gold, he stepped in and became a dad to four kids that he didn’t have to. He never separated them as any other but his own. He loved his grandbabies and love to brag about them, he always wanted more. He was a loyal son-in-law to LoriAnn’s parents, he enjoyed helping them and visiting with them.

His loving parents preceded him in death. Jim leaves behind the love of his life LoriAnn, sons Trever Kuralt (Courtney), David Kuralt, Robert Kuralt, Cody Thompson (Jessica), Travis Hansen (Bailey) and daughters Karen Kuralt and Lacie Nielsen (Chase); Grandbabies,  Kyden, Tilden, Tayslie, Stella, and baby Cash.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 11, 2021 at 11 a.m. at the Hooper 3rd Ward Chapel, 5601 South 6100 West. The family will meet with friends Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Roy Mortuary, 3333 W. 5600 S. and Friday from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the church.

Join virtually by clicking this link: https://zoom.us/j/4288635638?pwd=Z0JLNkxUT1BRSzg5cXNtaEhPNitWZz09 or by entering Meeting ID:428 863 5638 and Passcode: a0wSkV

Interment, Hooper Cemetery.