James Buhman

James F. Buhman, 74, of Bettendorf passed away Sunday, April 17, 2022 at his home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home, Bettendorf. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Friday evening at the funeral home. Burial will be at Davenport Memorial Park Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Cornbelt Running Club or the Humane Society of Scott County.

James was born May 29, 1947 in Davenport, the son of John and Allene (Kloft) Buhman.  He graduated from Central High School, class of 1965.  He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1966 and served in the Vietnam War until his honorable discharge from McCord Air Base Tacoma, Washington in 1970.

Jim married Susan Freeman in 1969 and had a son, Bryan. She preceded him in death in 1970. He later married Kay Hunter and had a daughter, Kelly.  He married Gail Rank and had a daughter, Jamie.

Following his military service, Jim worked at Iowa Bearing, Sieg, Hawkeye Steel Fabricating, and Kone prior to starting his own hoist repair and installation company in 1982 and became known as this area’s (the world’s) “Greatest Hoistman.”

As an adolescent growing up in the 1960’s, Jim enjoyed building replicas and working on real stock cars. From 1970 to 1979, Jim raced stock cars at various tracks including the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, Hawkeye Raceway Blue Grass, Knoxville, and Maquoketa. Memorable feature wins were during fair week with his Orange #20 and Mid-Season championship 1979 at Hawkeye Raceway.

Later in life, Jim began running. He ran the Bix numerous times and was proud to tell anyone that he had run nearly one hundred marathons, including Chicago, Boston, New York, Little Rock, and Utah, as well as many of the Quad Cities marathons. He made many incredible friends and enjoyed Wednesday Night Pub Runs.

Besides racing and running, Jim enjoyed drinking jumbo margaritas at local Mexican restaurants. He also enjoyed the Koi fish pond he built in his backyard. Working in his garage and in the yard gave him a chance to meet his wonderful neighbors that were like an extended family.

Those left to honor his memory are his son, Bryan (Becky) Buhman; daughters, Kelly (Bob) Curtis, Jamie (Joe) Bice; six grandchildren, Clarah Buhman, Jayden, Jacob, and Josie Bice, Allison and Adam Curtis; girlfriend, Susan Baker; sisters, Mary (Tracy) Goldsberry, Barbarann (Bill) Ernst; brother, Eddie Buhman; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a special grandmother, Kathryn Kloft; sister, Lynne Rose and twin brother, John Buhman; and his beloved canine companion, Ellie.