James Pius Koble, the son of Walter and Barbara (Welk) Koble was born on November 20, 1947 in Rugby, North Dakota.  He died at the age of 66 years on May 7, 2014 at Altru Health System in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

James was raised in the home of his parents and received his education in Orrin and Rugby.  On September 21, 1966 he was united in marriage to Marlene Bale in Rugby.  The couple raised their three children in Minot and Devils Lake.  Jim was employed by Northern Bottling Company (Pepsi) in delivery, sales and management for seventeen years working in Minot and Devils Lake.  He then briefly owned the Night Owl Lounge and Off Sale in Devils Lake.  Jim then began working as a truck driver for Koble and Sons Trucking of Minot and was employed there for nineteen years.  He worked for three years in Colorado with Natural Gas Pipeline and three years in Minot for Bechtold Paving and Contracting until he retired in November 2013.

Jim was a volunteer fireman for ten years with the Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Department and was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Rugby Eagles Club.  He loved hunting and fishing with his friends and family.  He loved to visit and enjoyed meeting new people and volunteering to help anyone.

James is survived by his children, Richard of Highlands Ranch, CO, Russell (Mimi) of Torrence, CA, and Tammy (Thomas) Pfeifer of Phoenix, AZ; his grandchildren, Callie, Dylan and Cody Koble, Madison Koble, Jordyn and Tristen Pfeifer; step-grandchildren, Austin, Rachel and Brianna; brothers and sisters, Albertina Berg of Fargo, Adam (Irene) of Minot, LeRoy (Juliann) of Devils Lake, Diane (Terry) Olson of Grand Forks, and Shirley (Dennis) Rost of Hazen; many nieces and nephews, relatives and friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother-in-law, Donald Berg; and nephew, Leon Koble.

Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, May 15 at the Little Flower Catholic Church in Rugby with a private burial in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Orrin. Father Tom Graner, Celebrant.

Friends may greet the family from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the Anderson Funeral Home in Rugby with a rosary and vigil prayer services beginning at 7:00 p.m.