Travis James

Travis Don James, age 68 of Beaman, Iowa, died in Marshalltown, IA, on December 30, 2025.

He was born August 9, 1957 in Newton, IA, to Winston and Betty James at Skiff Hospital. Travis attended Lynnville Sully High School, where he was involved in football and wrestling. He graduated with the class of 1976.

Travis started working in construction in 1982, building hotels in Florida, George and Tennessee until 1990. He moved back to Iowa, continuing with his career in construction in Marshalltown from 2000 to 2015, working at the hospital and school district. From 2015 until his retirement in 2020, he took a full-time role with the Marshalltown School District as Lead Carpenter.

Travis married Kathy Mick on September 25. She was the love of his life and they were fortunate to celebrate 15 wonderful years together.

After retiring, Travis kept himself busy with his hobbies, including woodworking, leather tooling and traveling. Travis gave his heart to the Lord in 2020 and his whole life changed! The people at Vineyard Church in Marshalltown became his second family. He continued using his skills working at the Vineyard Church building with Kathy in tow, which brought him pure joy! Travis loved the Lord with all of his heart and was looking forward to being reunited with his Lord and Savior in Heaven.

Left to cherish Travis’ memory are his children: Crystal McLaren of Sigourney, IA, Justin (Allison) James of AL, Trisha James of AL, and Jerrica Lowe of IA; his beloved grandchildren: Maddie Hornback and Gracie, Madeline and Noah James; great-grandchild Chase Straight; siblings: Donna (Daryl) Soderblom and Jackie (Kevin) Gooding, both of Newton, and William James of IA; and his niece Sabrina Gooding. Through his wife Kathy, there were additional members that blessed his life: Greg Mick of MN, Kara Mick of TX, sister-in-law Cindy Ayers and brother-in-law Jim Kopel.

Travis is preceded in death by his parents, Winston and Betty James; his brother, Will James; and his nephew, Dustin Henning.

Per the wishes of Travis and his family, cremation rites have been accorded under the care of the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. A family-led celebration of life will take place on Saturday, January 10 at 11:00 AM at Vineyard Church in Marshalltown. For online condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Ph. 641-844-1234.