James "Jim" Robert Havens

Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 3019 Cayce Lane, Columbia, TN 38401. Visitation will be at 9 AM, and Mass at 10 AM. Ashes will be laid to rest afterwards at Maury Memorial Gardens, inside the mausoleum.

Jim Havens, 83, was taken home to Heaven on Sunday, May 4th, 2025, in Columbia, Tennessee. His earthly journey ended just before sunrise. He was surrounded by his family at home.

Jim was born on July 10, 1941, in El Paso, Texas, and he was the son of the late Dorothy Bott. In 1958, he began studying at the University of Texas, but halted his studies in 1960 to enlist in the Navy. His military career took him to Nice, France, where he was stationed for the next 4 years. Undoubtedly, the local Musée Matisse sparked his love of museums, and the vineyards of France set him on his lifelong mission to find a wine he did not enjoy.

Returning stateside after four years of service, he completed his Engineering degree in Santa Barbara, California, and began work at General Motors. In 1967, the Materials and Structures Lab was moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he met his wife, Josie. They were married in 1968 and spent 56 wonderful years together.

In 1988, the Havens’ — by then a party of 4 — moved to Spring Hill, Tennessee, where Jim began work at the new Saturn plant. He retired there in 2001, after 36 years and 3 piston patents.

From then on, he devoted his energy to mastering French cooking, learning photography, and pouring into his grandchildren. Few grandchildren have the privilege of saying their grandfathers truly knew them, not just as little playmates, but as true friends. And although he was always a man of mystery, his life story (most often unravelled over a meal) is rich and fascinating. Jim was a semi-professional bowler, bowling 3 perfect games in his lifetime. He played the clarinet. He was the master of the never-ending honey-do list. He kept meticulous spreadsheets of the places he had visited and the few places he had not.

After a cancer diagnosis in 2021, Jim gave chemotherapy the old one-two for 76 rounds. His family and friends remained in awe of his incredible immune system and relentless stubbornness as he fought it until the end. In his final year of life, he traveled to Dallas to see his beloved Cowboys play the Detroit Lions with his son-in-law and grandson. He also visited Washington, DC, on a whirlwind research trip with his granddaughter.

His family is comforted by the thousands of photos he left behind, a combination of embarrassing candids and beautifully-captured memories of their travels together. He is survived by his wife Josie; his son Kevin, daughter-in-law Mimi, and grandson Max; his daughter Kelli, son-in-law Chris, granddaughter Bella, and grandson Brody.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Rest in peace, Jim — and God bless America! (If you know, you know.)