James Woitalla

James Alfred Jim Woitalla, 58 year old resident of Bloomington, MN formerly of Harding, MN died Friday, August 12, 2016 at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis, surrounded by his family. He was 58 years old. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, August 19 at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Harding, MN with Father David Maciej officiating.. A visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 18 and from 10:00 a.m. until the hour of the service on Friday all visitation times will be held at Holy Cross Catholic Church. A parish prayer will be said at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday at the church.

Jim was born to Alfred and Marcella (Cichon) Woitalla on June 25, 1958, in Little Falls, MN. He grew up on the family dairy farm near Harding. In 1976, he graduated from Pierz Healy High School in Pierz, MN. After high school, Jim attended St. Cloud Business College in St. Cloud, MN. He graduated in 1978 and began his professional career as a court reporter. At the time of his death, Jim was an owner at Herbert L. Peterson and Associates, Inc., a trial reporting firm in Minnetonka, MN. He also taught Judicial Reporting/Broadcast Captioning at Anoka Technical College in Anoka, MN. Jim was an active member of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), where he was certified as a Registered Diplomate Reporter, the highest level of distinction. He was also named a Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters in 2011 for his leadership and valued contributions to the profession. Jim loved travel, and his job gave him the opportunity to visit interesting places across the country and internationally. He also loved technology and teaching. He was naturally sociable, but he also enjoyed spending lazy days with his beloved cats. His favorite dessert was his moms bridge pie. His sense of humor, intelligence, helpful nature, and bear hugs will be missed by many.

He is survived by his mother, Marcella Woitalla, of Harding; sisters Bernice (Vern) Marshall of Harding, Delores (Randy) Young, of Harding, and Karen (Darryl) Gorecki, of Foley, MN; six nieces, three nephews, eight grand-nieces, five grand-nephews, and countless friends, colleagues and students.

Jim was preceded in death by his father, Alfred Woitalla.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate to the Jim Woitalla Memorial Scholarship Fund on GiveMN.org. Donations will fund a scholarship for future court reporting students at Anoka Technical College.

Here is the link for the scholarship information:https://www.givemn.org/project/jim-woitalla-memorial-fund57b1d78268e93