James J. Welna 1953-2025

By SUE WELNA

Jim Welna, guided by a genuine interest in how he might make life better for those who shared his world, lived a life of servant leadership. He embodied Maya Angelou’s reflection, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” People lucky enough to cross paths with Jim knew they mattered more than anything else on his agenda. To our great loss, Jim died of recently diagnosed pancreatic cancer on May 26, 2025.

James Jonathan Welna was born on August 17, 1953, in Minneapolis, MN, the first child of Patricia and Virgil Welna. He was soon joined by his sister, Virginia, and then brother, Mark. For the first nine years of his life, the family lived with his maternal grandmother. His foster sister, Pauline, joined the family later in their own home. Early on, Jim learned the value of economy and resourcefulness, and that lesson served him and his family well for his entire life. 

In 1967, Jim started at St. Thomas Academy, where he made lifelong friends and realized that the world was brimming with possibilities. Normandale College, Mankato State University, William Mitchell College of Law, the FBI National Academy, the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Program, and the Secret Service Executive Protection Program—all of these were tucked into his portfolio but did not begin to describe the person he was.… Read the rest “James J. Welna 1953-2025”