James "Jim" Wernig
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James H. Wernig, Jr. passed away June 15, 2019 at McLaren Northern Michigan hospital in Petoskey at the age of 86.
Jim was born in South Bend, Indiana, and moved to Detroit at an early age. His first taste of the automotive business was sweeping floors at a Detroit auto dealership when he was a teenager. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955, he returned to Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in economics.
He founded Jim Wernig Chevrolet in 1959 in Almont, Michigan, and later moved the operation to Romeo, Michigan. Jim had ties to the Gaylord area since 1953, so his move "up north" was a natural choice. In 1977, he moved and purchased the Chevrolet dealership in Gaylord. Today, Jim Wernig Chevrolet is located at 2401 Old 27 South, Gaylord, Michigan. Jim also operated dealerships in Cheboygan, Alpena and Grayling. He was a Chevrolet dealer for 60 years.
Jim was a member of the Gaylord Elks Club, Mackinac Island Yacht Club, and was a past board member of the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association.
Jim is survived by his beloved wife Linda, and daughters Susan (Steve) Franks and Cynthia (Jean Christophe) Deniau. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Nelson Funeral Home. P.O. Box 1548, Gaylord MI. 49734.
A memorial Celebration of Life will be held June 29, 2019, 3pm to 6pm at the Ellison Place in Gaylord, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Otsego Co. Humane Society through the Nelson Funeral Home.