James Michael Crombie, age 58, of Columbus passed away suddenly from a heart attack on Monday, May 25, 2015. Jim was born to Jack and Marguerite (Slattery) Crombie on April 15, 1957. He grew up on a rural farm just outside of Columbus. He attended school at St. Jerome, Columbus High School, and UW-Oshkosh. He married his high school sweetheart on August 11, 1979 and was blessed with six wonderful children. Jim was devoted to his family and enjoyed nothing more than watching his children participate in sports, music and community. Jim's love for sports began as a young child and he especially enjoyed playing basketball in high school. This love of sports led him to coaching basketball for many city rec teams, St. Jerome, and at Columbus High School for 13 years along side of Mike O'Brien and Dave Hintzmann. Jim especially enjoyed and loved coaching his own children, but also loved all of his players he had the pleasure to work with over the years. He never stopped sharing stories of his coaching days. Jim also enjoyed inventing board games and began an annual event uniting family and friends in the board game he was most proud of "Crombolaya." Jim was a hard worker with various jobs in Columbus. He last worked for the United States Postal Service in Madison as a letter carrier for over 20 years. He enjoyed interacting with the people on his route. He was an integral part of the community. He received a Citizen Recognition Award from the Madison Police Department and the National Association of Letter Carriers on May 15, 2013, for saving lives and property from fire while on his route. Jim truly enjoyed a good laugh and was quick witted. He was a lifelong Columbus resident that was always proud to call this city home. Jim will be dearly missed and always loved! Jim is survived by his wife Darlene (Hansen), five sons and a daughter: Kelly, Crystal (Kyle Koch), Kevin, Kyle, Casey, and Christopher. He is further survived by his seven siblings: Pat (Darlene), Brian, Maureen (Larry), Ann (Chris) Loebel, Susan (Patrick) Pokey, Philip (Denise), and Mary (John) Breunig; mother in law, Phyllis Hansen; brothers-in-laws: Bob, Gary (Grace Ann), Dave (Nancy), Ken (Jenny) Hansen; sister-in-law, Diane (Robert) Falk; aunt Marian Devincenzi; stepfather-in-law, Roger Nehmer; two godchildren, Michael Crombie and Tyler Hansen; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; father-in-law, Robert Hansen; godparents, Kay and Sylvester Tiedt; uncles, Donald and Jim Slattery; aunt Genevieve Slattery, and sisters-in-law, Mary Crombie and Sharen Hansen.
Visitation was held on Monday, June 1 from 4:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Columbus. To honor Jim's wishes, a private mass and burial was held for family on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.