James Douglas Leffler, age 75

February 22, 1945 – December 13, 2020

James Douglas Leffler, age 75, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and formerly of Newton, Illinois, passed away at 9:41 AM – Sunday, December 13, 2020, at Ava's Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Private burial was in the Riverside Cemetery in Newton, Illinois.  Arrangements are under the care of the Meyer Funeral Home in Newton, Illinois.  The obituary can be viewed and condolences left at www.meyerfh.com .

James Douglas, was born on February 22, 1945, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the son of Dorris Douglas "Doug" and Dorothy C. (Foege) Leffler.  In 1948, the family moved to West Liberty, Illinois, and Jim attended West Liberty Grade School and he graduated from the eighth grade in 1959.  The family moved to Newton that same year and he attended Newton Community High School and graduated with the Class of 1963.

Jim joined the United States Air Force and was inducted just 5 days after his high school graduation on May 28, 1963.  He was a Military Occupational Specialist and specialized in electronics and trained on flight simulators and was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  He was honorable discharged on May 26, 1967.

On April 12, 1969, Jim was united in marriage to Jan Peterson of Marshall, Minnesota, and she survives.

After his military service, Jim joined IBM and retired in 1997, after 30 years of service.  He worked in Champaign and Springfield, Illinois; Poughkeepsie, New York and Rochester, Minnesota; performing computer repair service, programing and 2 ^nd and 3 ^rd level phone technical support.

Jim was an avid collector of glass and western art.  He enjoyed traveling and been all around the world.

Jim is survived by:

Wife of 51 years – Jan Leffler of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Brother and Sister-in-law – Jay and Patsy Leffler of Newton, Illinois

Several nieces, nephews and cousins survive

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, sister and brother-in-law Lora and Larry Short.