to the well trained mind, death is but the next great adventure.
Obituary
James Peter Birkholz was born on June 1st, 1966 to Mary and Reuben Birkholz in Park Rapids, Minnesota. The youngest of 6 children, James had the pick of the litter for sibling relationships - surrogate mothers in the form of Karla and Valerie, aloof and somewhat helpful older brothers with David and Craig, and a consummate teasing partner in the form of Marian. Being a part of a large family greatly impacted James. When he was young, his older siblings began having children and he adored getting to be Uncle James. He knew, very early on, that what he wanted to be, more than anything else in this world, was a dad. When he was in high school, fate dealt him a hand that would change the course of the rest of his life - his mom and dad were moving to Arizona for her health and he was coming along. Little did he know that arriving in the dusty town of Tucson would land him directly in the path of the love of his life, Lisa.
Love blossomed on the marching band fields of Cholla High School; their passion for music was only ever outmatched by their passion for each other. While they drifted apart near the end of high school, James and Lisa found each other again when James stepped up to help Lisa with Sarah and Steven, the first kids to ever call him Dad. In the fall of 1989, James and Lisa sealed their commitment to one another with a backyard ceremony in front of God and their families. The very next month, their first biological child together, Jessica, joined the family, solidifying to James that the most important role he would ever play was that of father. James and Lisa went forth and multiplied, welcoming Korie in ‘91, Joshua in ‘92, and Kelsie in ‘95, completing what would be affectionately known as the Birkholz Army for many years to come.
James was the kind of person who was effortlessly good at anything and everything he tried; music, games, instruments, puzzles; you name it, he could figure it out. In fact, he scored so well on the ASVAB test, every branch of the armed forces put in a bid for him - a point he would bring up anytime he could. Family life pulled harder than any other calling and James settled into life as a father, instilling in his children a love of classic rock, slapstick humor, respect, and goofiness.
Music would prove a throughline throughout James’s life, playing trombone and singing during his time at the UofA and beyond. Once all of his children were in school, James decided to try his hand at higher education, pursuing a degree in choral music education from the University of Arizona. While in school, James and Lisa built their own orchestra and choir, starting by getting their kids involved with the bell choir at church to teach them how to read music. From there, everyone got a musical focus; Sarah had woodwinds and voice, Steven had the trombone and voice, Jessica had the french horn and voice, Korie had cello and voice, Joshua had violin and voice, and Kelsie had viola and voice. It was a point of great pride for him that all of his children developed and nurtured a love of music.
James fostered important individual relationships with each of his children. For Sarah, it was showing up for her endless love of sports; helping coach during the AYSO years and being pitch-side when her girls took up the soccer mantle. For Steven, it was that sense of commitment to family and showing up. And Harry Potter. Definitely Harry Potter. For Jessie, it was him being a constant rock throughout the tumult of life; from band days to the births of her children, he showed up. For Korie it was music; whether it was an ear worm they needed the other to identify or a new movie soundtrack they wanted to rant about, the two could always find common ground within a score. For Josh, it was being an absolute nerd in every sense of the word; the two would often geek out together over movies, tv, video games, books, legos - the list is practically infinite. For Kelsie, it was books; she caught his reading bug early and the two would spend countless hours reading in tandem. James would often choose Kelsie’s preferred books so they could read them together and compare notes on plot, characters, and editing errors.
As he was nearing the end of his degree, his mother became ill and James took what he thought would be a hiatus from school to be able to help his dying mother. Life had other plans, and James never quite made it back to the classroom, but his passions for music and education live in each of his children, specifically Korie who was able to complete her own music education degree in 2014, and Claire, his granddaughter who will be pursuing the same degree at NAU this coming fall.
James always had a way with babies and was overjoyed to be promoted to Papa in December of 2008 with the birth of his first grandchild, Claire. The promotion would happen again 8 more times over the course of the rest of his life with Stacy, Leah, Amelia, Anna, Madison, Noah, Emma, and Stetson. As his granddaughter Emma liked to say, “of course he loved us, it was always on his shirts.” Watching his grandchildren grow and getting to be a part of their lives helped push him to be the best version of himself in the later half of his life.
Traveling the world with the love of his life was a huge part of what made him tick. Whether it was a road trip to Disney, a road trip to Minnesota, or even just a quick drive around town, the man loved to be with his wife, seeing the world. He was doing just that when the Lord called him home, traveling to see one of his beloved nieces get married.
Family, music, and God. Those are the things James P. Birkholz held above all others. Love your family. Listen to good music. Lean on God. That is what he would tell us now as we begin to rebuild our lives around his absence.
A celebration of life will be held in the afternoon on November 15, 2026. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made via Zelle to his wife, Lisa, to ensure she has what she needs moving forward.
Surviving family
James is survived by Lisa, his wife of 37 years, his siblings, Karla, Valerie, David, Craig (Linda), and Marian (Arthur), his children Sarah (Brian), Steven (Yolanda), Jessica (Anthony), Korie, Joshua (Nesta), and Kelsie, as well as his 9 beloved grandchildren Stacy, Claire, Leah, Anna, Amelia, Emma, Noah, Madison, and Stetson, as well as his cherished nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.
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