James 'Jim' Oswald

James ‘Jim’ Paul Oswald, of Aurora, passed away August 22, 2024 at the age of 84.
Funeral Services will be held Thursday, August 29 at Aurora Evangelical Free Church, 1202 A Street, Aurora. Visitation will be held from 1-2 p.m. with funeral services at 2 p.m. and burial to follow at the Aurora Cemetery. Memorials may be made in care of the family to be determined at a later date. Higby-McQuiston Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.   Condolences may be sent to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
Jim was born the youngest of three children to Earl and Margie Oswald on the family farm west of Aurora on July 28, 1940. He graduated from Aurora High School and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating with a degree in agronomy. Jim spent the majority of his life farming and loved every minute. His equipment of choice was International/Case and Jim wasn’t shy about touting the obvious superiority of the brand and the color red. He retired in 2000 but continued to ‘check on the crops’ via his trusty green ‘95 Chevy pickup. Jim also used his agricultural experience to sell Pioneer Seed corn for almost 30 years. He enjoyed meeting with farmers and he and Pat had the opportunity to take several great vacations through Pioneer, meeting couples who became lifelong friends.
Jim met his wife, Patricia ‘Pat’ Rasmussen, in 1960 and they were married on September 28, 1962.They raised four children and MANY dogs on the farm. Jim’s favorite dogs were rat terriers and his children and grandchildren can recall many great stories of their antics.
Jim was an avid sports fan. His preference for red continued with support for everything “Big Red” Huskers. It didn’t matter which sport, he always had an opinion to share about the team, coaches and prospective season. He also enjoyed supporting his grandchildren’s sports, and was even known to be warming up his bleacher seat before the grandkids and their teammates were warming up for the game.
In a written testimony, Jim stated that at age 12 he realized if he died right then he would ‘not go to heaven and would be separated from God and my family forever’. Jim prayed the Sinner’s Prayer and asked Jesus Christ to be his personal Savior. Jim chose Proverbs 3:5-6 as his life verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Jim states he recited this verse many times before, during and after his brain surgery in 1999 and was thankful God restored him to a sense of normalcy at that time. Jim is now restored in every way and with His Savior.
Jim was preceded to heaven by his wife, Pat, and his parents. He is survived by his children, Debbie (Curt) Carlson, Brad Oswald, Kristi (Jason) Hanquist, and Mike (Deb) Oswald; grandchildren Kylie Bruns, Steve Oswald, John Oswald, Kati Borchers, Dylan Hanquist, Caitlin Sawyer, Samantha Hanquist, Mitch Oswald, Hannah Lee, Matt Oswald and Bobby Hanquist and 20 great-grandchildren with two more to be added to the family in December. He is also survived by his siblings, Ron Oswald and Kerry Sue Twist.