Obituary of James E. Leiser

James E. "Big Jim" Leiser, 79, of Iowa City, died unexpectedly, Tuesday, December 9, 2014, in Las Vegas, NV. Jim was born July 25, 1935, in Sumner, Iowa, the son of Joseph and Beverly (House) Leiser. His family moved to Cedar Rapids where he graduated from Wilson High School. On August 23, 1953, he was united in marriage to Janet M. Dumond. The couple lived in Cedar Rapids until moving to Iowa City in 1966. For the past 15 years, Jim and Janet wintered in Arizona. Jim enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he proudly served his country during the Korean War. He was the first of three generations serving in the Marine Corps. Himself in Korea; his son, James E. Leiser Jr. during the Vietnam War and his grandson, Wesley J. Leiser during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Jim was a proud member of the local 125 Plumbers Union as a Master Plumber, retiring in 1991. He was a member of the American Legion, VFW, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. As an avid swimmer, he competed in the Veterans Golden Age Games. He was a proud Marine who had a wonderful sense of humor and a generous heart. His family includes his wife of 61 ½ years, Janet; children, James Leiser Jr. (Sue) of Cedar Rapids; Lynn Martin (Mitch) and Lisa Leiser-Lovetinsky (Dale) all of Iowa City; five grandchildren, Wesley Leiser (Dawn) of Anamosa, Amy Leiser-Vega (Jay McCary) of Cedar Rapids, Chris Martin (Jenny), and Kelly Martin (Jon Flickinger), both of North Liberty and Joseph Rundlett (Anna Leavy) of West Branch; 9 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great grandson, a sister, Elaine Hayes (Larry) of Overland, Kansas; and longtime family friends Gizz Blakley and Jim and Karen Tucker all of Iowa City. Memorial Services will be held at 3 pm Tuesday, January 6, 2015, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City where there will be visitation 2 hours prior to the services. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established in Jim's memory.