James D Gregart

James ‘Jim’ Gregart passed away at the age of 83 on December 1st, 2025, after a short battle with a recurrence of cancer.

Jim was born in Detroit, Michigan on December 5, 1941, to Joe & Marie Gregart. He spent his childhood playing football, baseball and hockey, and was a Golden Gloves boxing champion as well. His father worked for the railroad, so Jim had many adventures with his dad using their railroad privileges to explore the Midwest. As a young teen Jim was lucky enough to be a water boy for his beloved Detroit Lions at the old Briggs Stadium. There he had the privilege of meeting and getting to know Bobby Lane, his childhood hero. Law enforcement was Jim’s focus his entire adult life starting with completing the Police Administration Program at Michigan State University, followed by service as a military policeman in the U.S. Army. He went on to be a full-time Wayne County Deputy Sheriff deputy while attending the Detroit College of Law full-time. He became an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Kalamazoo County in 1969 and was named Chief Assistant Prosecutor in 1972. In 1976 he made the decision to run for Prosecuting Attorney and, despite being a longshot candidate, would go on to win the election in a landslide. His campaign statement was “to him it’s not a job, it’s a career”. He would honor that slogan by being elected 6 more times until his retirement in 2004. During his time as Prosecutor, he was also a lecturer for the National College of District Attorneys which took him all over the country to speak in dozens of cities. Jim established many programs that were a first in Michigan, including the Kalamazoo Area Cold Case Homicide Squad, Drug Court, Crime Victim Advocate Program, Kalamazoo Domestic Assault Intervention Program, Southwest Michigan Narcotics Enforcement Team, Child Sexual Assault Prosecutor Program, and the list goes on. His impact on the criminal justice system in Michigan, and the country, was quite significant. While at Michigan State University, Jim met Linda Yokom, a freshman from Harrisville, MI. After 2 years of dating, Jim finally did what everyone around him had been screaming at him to do and he asked Linda to marry him. In true Jim Gregart fashion, they only waited 6 more years after the engagement to get married. They were married in 1968 in a ceremony at Big Paw Resort in Harrisville, which was the Yokom family business. Big Paw would play a huge part in Jim’s life from then on.

Jim and Linda would have two children, Katie (born in 1976) and Dan (born in 1978). While the kids were growing up, Jim never missed a sporting event. He loved being the loudest parent on the sidelines, yelling his words of encouragement to everyone on the team, often to the point of embarrassing his kids. Jim and the family lived on Austin Lake in Portage, and their summers were often spent out on the lake with a fleet of pontoon boats over at ‘The Dam’. Friends made in those days remained friends for the rest of his life. Jim was an avid runner in the 70’s and 80’s and was one of the founders of the Kalamazoo Track Club. In his most committed years, Jim would run to the office every morning and then back home every evening. That was 10 miles each way! His major accomplishment in running was qualifying for the Boston Marathon. After retiring in 2004, Jim and Linda moved up to the family property at Big Paw in Harrisville. For a kid raised in the inner city of Detroit, the peace and tranquility of Big Paw, was life changing for him. For many years after retirement, Jim would host a group of his old law buddies for a week at Big Paw. He called them the ‘GOOF Guys’ (Gathering of Old Farts), and they would spend the week rehashing old stories and catching up on life.

Jim delighted in his 3 grandchildren: Bauer, Bo and Liam. He was known to Liam as Grandpa, and Bauer and Bo called him their ‘Papa Jimmy’. To all who knew him, Jim was a larger-than-life figure. He was charismatic and powerful, while somehow being gentle and kind at the same time. He treated everyone with the same level of respect, regardless of the person’s esteem. Stories of Jim’s generosity are too many to count, and he made everyone he met feel like a friend. He was truly a one-in-a-million guy, and he will be missed by many. Donations in Jim’s can be made to the Kalamazoo Foundation: Children at Risk, or the Humane Society in Lincoln, Michigan. A memorial gathering will be held next summer in Kalamazoo.