James F. Force

James (Jim) Francis Force, born August 8, 1950, died of cancer on August 2, 2026 at the age of 75. Jim moved frequently from place to place as a child before settling in his family home in Sterling Heights in 1978. As a young man he served as a supply sergeant in The National Guard, often explaining to friends: "I drank beer for my country!" Jim then spent his career as a salesman, first in wine and then later opening his own distributorship. He deeply enjoyed his time with his customers all over metro Detroit, never in his life met a stranger, and bought the exact same make, model, and color of van five times to run his route. He was a man of habit. Jim met his wife, Kathy Force, at the wedding of their two best friends. He proposed after a 3-month courtship, and it is speculated that at least part of why Kathy said yes was Jim's 1972 Stingray Corvette, which she then got to drive. Jim loved cars. In fact, he loved Indy cars so much that his children grew up thinking that the Sunday before Memorial Day -Indy Day - was the national holiday for which they got Memorial Day off school, and some of the family's best memories are of Indy days filled with roughly 900 screaming children, beer, and rib-offs, in which the whole neighborhood participated. Jim also loved Nascar racing, classic cars, strip steak (charred medium rare), and music. Visitors to the house were greeted with music ranging from Duke Ellington to Eric Clapton, Frank Sinatra to The Doors, James Taylor to Billy Joel, and Jim often played guitar while his children sang in the family room on weekend afternoons. Where Jim truly, absolutely excelled in life was being a loving husband and father. Jim was determined to be the best dad he could be to his 4 children: Shawn, Erin, Maureen, and Patrick. He worked hard to teach them, love them, instill his values in them, and help them grow up to be good humans. He was so committed to being a good dad that he and Kathy many times stepped in to provide advice and a safe home to his children's friends. He believed that it was all grown-ups' responsibility to keep kids safe in this world, whether they belonged to you or not, and Jim and Kathy treated everyone who visited as family. Jim cherished his wife Kathy. They could often be found dancing in the kitchen and singing to music, much to the embarrassment of their children in their younger years. Jim's last words to anyone in this world were to his wife Kathy: she asked him if he recognized her and he replied: "Yes. You are the love of my life." At the end, even with cancer taking so many parts of him, he knew with every fiber of his being that he loved his wife. Jim will be reunited in the afterlife with his parents, Julia and Hilly Force; his two brothers, Robert and Gerard Force, and his daughter, Maureen Susan Force. He is deeply missed and fondly remembered by his wife Kathy Force, his children Shawn Force, Erin Sisco (husband Paul Sisco), and Patrick Force, his grandchildren Alexis and Jacob Sisco and Aurora Monterosso, and the many friends and neighbors that he enjoyed drinks, jokes, and company with throughout his life. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you love the people around you, take care of the kids in your life, enjoy music and each other, and that you wave at folks who let you into traffic; Jim was fond of saying that his motto, should he ever run for office, would be "Vote for Jim - He Lets You In!"

James F. Force

August 8, 1950 - August 2, 2026