James “Jim” Rockman passed away at home from natural causes on Nov. 29, 2025, at the age of 71. A Celebration of Life will be 1 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at 308 N. Blue Mound Avenue in Luverne.
Jim was born on April 28, 1954, to Eldred “Rocky” and Doris Rockman in Marshall, Minnesota. The family moved to Jackson, Minnesota, in 1957 and then to Luverne in 1967, where Jim helped out at his father’s Gambles store. He graduated from Luverne High School in 1972. He lived in Alaska for 13 years, where he worked construction and had lots of adventures. He was married to Catherine Law in 1985, and they were blessed with two daughters, Kimberly and Alyson. In 1992, he returned to Luverne with his family and worked for the City of Luverne as a water/wastewater operator, followed by several years as a truck driver until retiring. He loved being retired.
Jim was a loving, supportive and kind father and grandfather; encouraging his daughters and grandsons to follow their passions. He loved being a part of a large family and had so many cherished memories with his five siblings and extended family of cousins, nieces and nephews. He had a steady faith in God. He was raised in, and then raised his family in, the Lutheran church.
Jim enjoyed being social and had a great sense of humor. He had decades of memories of hunting trips in Alaska and Minnesota, rambling around the country roads in his favorite cars, and spending time at local hangout spots with friends and family. He enjoyed reading historical fiction and nonfiction, magazines, and the local paper; listening to music (the 1970s were his favorite era); and watching game shows, old westerns, nature shows, and in his words “too much news.”
In 1993, Jim and Cathy purchased a small acreage on the edge of Luverne, which kept Jim occupied with lots of tinkering and mowing over the years. There were always at least a couple of pet cats around that kept Jim company (and kept the rabbit population down), especially in his final years. With his support, his daughter Kimberly began transforming five acres of the property into Prairie Ally as the demonstration site for Project Food Forest, a small nonprofit in the area. Prairie Ally is an alliance of community food forest, restored prairie, wetlands, and gardens that is open to the public. Jim kept a keen eye over the comings and goings on the property, and he enjoyed sharing the sightings of various wildlife and people.
Jim is survived by his daughters Alyson (Robert) Silbaugh of Minnetonka, Minnesota, and Kimberly Rockman (partner, Clinton Brown) of Luverne; and grandchildren Iver and Hollis Silbaugh. He is also survived by his former wife, Cathy, siblings Leann Denn, Judy (Steve) Peterson, Darrell (Sharon) Rockman, Pat (Brillo) Sprock, and Cindy (Jim) Walberg and their children and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents Doris and Rocky, brother in-law Peter Denn, and nephew Eliot Heffern.
Jim would always send his daughters off with “be good to each other,” as a reminder to be considerate and kind. We carry that forward.
In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials to Project Food Forest to support Prairie Ally. at https://projectfoodforest.org/ or by reaching out to 605-951-0227.
