Jim was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to William and Beulah Zeran (Werner) of Otsego, Michigan. He spent his early years in that area and said he knew how Otsego was named! There was a horse they had named Otsy, a nd when they wanted to go fast, they would say GO Otsy GO! Hey it was his story.....As a young lad Jim had some unfortunate moments, becoming separated from his whole family for a couple of years...All alone, he hitchhiked from Tuscon, Arizona to Modesto, California, carrying two large suitcases with all his belongings to find us. It was a very special reunion and he never left us again!

As an adult, Jim followed in his father's footsteps by learning to run his dad's Deep Rock Service Station in LeGrand, Iowa, becoming a great mechanic and getting into racing stock cars at the local dirt tracks. Later on when the station closed he worked along side his father driving dump trucks for Cessford Construction building roads. They made the most fun of that job by racing their dump trucks back to the main plant after a long days work...Most of the time dad won but when Jim beat him there it was a bigger challenge the next day! For years on his CB radio he went by the handle ''The Wanderer" stolen from an old song recorded by Dion. That fit Jim very well as he really was a wandering type of guy, always on the move, driving very nice hot rods back in the day, Celebrating life after, as a young man, running from the long arm of the law for reasons unknown...He turned his life around and became responsible to his family again. Backing down from no one ever, Jim stood for what he believed in right down to the end. Jim's passions were building and racing stock cars at many tracks and he was very good as set-up after his driving the race cars ended. His last hot rod with Donnie Struble was the beautiful Monte Carlo #44 as Jim said was twice as fast as Dad's old Model T #22...Jim wrote many songs and poems during his younger years that were very intense and also love songs, he at one time even managed a rock and roll band in Tuscon, Arizona! One of Jim's favorite last jobs in Michigan was working for Wyoming Asphalt in Otsego...Driving dump trucks with that great bunch of guys there!  GO OTSY GO!

Jim was preceded in death by both parents, his sister Colleen Paletta Sova, step-daughter Mellissa Hill, and his wife Elizabeth (Bunny). Surviving are his children Shawn Jamie and Candice, also 13 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren, sisters Linda and Kathy, and brother Bill.

After some personal setbacks, Jim was transferred to Meadow Woods nursing home in Bloomingdale, Michigan, where for the last two years they nursed him back to a better level of happiness and life.  He loved it there mainly because of the very special people (including Leslie and Olivia!) that took very good care of him. He will be sadly missed forever in our hearts.  A special get together will be held this summer at the Kalamazoo Speedway in honor of Jim with the exact date to be determined at a later date. R.I.P. Brotherman!