James "Jim" L. Hatch

James L. Hatch (“Jim”), 83, of Petoskey, MI, died peacefully May 17, 2022 in Valparaiso, IN surrounded by his family.

Jim is survived by his daughter, Julie Burk (Dennis), son Michael  Hatch (Ellen), sisters: Mary Kotulionus (David) and Anne Campbell (Bill), one brother Greg Hatch, eight grandchildren living around the country: Jordan, Evan and Hanna Merz, Austin J. Hatch (Abby), James P. and Andrew Hatch, Maria Bowersock (Jason), Brittnee Burns (Jared), seven great grandchildren (with one more on the way),  many brothers and sisters-in-law, and dozens of nieces and nephews whom he dearly loved.

Jim is preceded in death by the love of his life, wife Margaret A. (“Peg” O’Donnell) Hatch, son Stephen J. Hatch, daughters-in-law Julie (Siwik) Hatch, Kimberly (Russo) Hatch, Grandchildren Lindsay and Ian Hatch, and Austin T. Neal.

The Funeral Liturgy Mass will be held on May 25, 2022  at 11 AM with Rev. James Bearss of Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic Church in Harbor Springs, MI officiating, followed by Internment at St. Francis Cemetery in Petoskey. Visitation hours will be held at the church on the same day from 10:30 - 11 AM.

Jim was born and August 1, 1938 in Saginaw, MI, the son of Frances (Schwannecke) and James Hatch, and grew up in Saginaw. He attended Catholic schools, participated in sports, Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. After high school, Jim attended General Motors Institute (now Kettering), earning a B.S in Industrial Engineering then went on to earn both an MBA and MS in Engineering from the University of Michigan. He became a lifelong Michigan fan, a passion he passed along to his family.

Jim was a loving, dedicated husband, father, and grandfather whose main life’s purpose was to love God, practice his faith, adore his wife and family, live by example, work hard, play hard, explore and be curious, and to pass along Catholic Christian teachings and values.

In his early adult life, Jim served as a Boy Scout leader. He developed a liking for Jazz which he continued to enjoy throughout his life. Jim and Peg fell in love with Northern Michigan while they were still young parents. They bought their first cottage in Lake City, MI in the early 1970’s and in 1975, purchased the current property on Walloon Lake. The Walloon cottage was a labor of love, built with what Jim liked to call “sweat equity”. They traveled there almost every weekend to enjoy the lake, spend time together with family and friends, and participate in a myriad of activities including snow and water sports.  Jim & Peg also traveled the world, taking in all of the sights, sounds and cuisine.  They eventually retired and split their time between Walloon Lake and Fountain Hills, AZ, where they’ve left many close friends and where Jim retained a residence up to his death.

Jim was an early pioneer in the computer field in the 1960’s and had a distinguished career in information technology (IT). He was employed by General Motors (GM) starting with Saginaw Steering Gear Division and rose up to lead their data center. He then led other global IT departments for GM, including Packard Electric (Warren, OH), the GM Technical Center (Warren, MI), and ultimately became a Vice President of GM leading IT for the Assembly Division (Detroit, MI).  He held similar positions at RJR-Nabisco (Winston-Salem, NC), where he served as VP of IT then became Chief Information Officer (CIO). He held several other CIO positions that also encompassed worldwide operations for Treasure Chest Advertising (Glendora, CA), J.I. Case (Racine, WI), Tenneco and Pactiv Corporations (WI and IL).  In 2003, Jim was featured on the cover of Information Week magazine where he served as an editor, consistently advising CEOs and Boards on how to improve IT strategy coupled with business-process alignment.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to Knights of Columbus Council 923 located on 1006 Charlevoix Road, Petoskey, MI 49770.

Arrangements are in the care of Stone Funeral Home of Petoskey.

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