James Michael Tuerk

James Michael Tuerk, 57, of Andover NH was set free on June 23, 2022, at home after a brave and valiant battle with cancer.  He was born in Manchester NH and was a life-long resident of the state. His late parents, Jeannette (Gauthier) Walters and James Tuerk welcomed Jim, the baby of his family, on December 9, 1964.

James is survived by the loves of his life Carol (Dolliver) and his two sons, Peter and Michael along with his two sisters Jacqueline Bachman, Denise Biddle and his brother Richard Vallee. He is also survived by his good girl Alice, his “grand puppy” Millie and many nieces and nephews who call him their “FU” (favorite uncle).

The Tuerk love story started on a job site in 1983 where Carol and her sisters, in search of firewood, stumbled upon Jim, where the two love birds struck a deal trading firewood for a 30-rack of beer.

They were happily married on May 7th, 1988, committing their lives to each other and their two sons. Jim’s family, friends and community became everything to him. Car rides to Boston for cannoli’s, creating and building with his hands, backpacking, hiking, camping, gardening, coffee and making people laugh are some of his favorite things. Unanimously, he had the world’s best laugh, hitting everyone’s funny bone with endless “Dad jokes”.  

“Jimbo” was an all-or-nothing kind of guy and luckily to the ones he loved, he was always all in. His dedication to his crafts and his jack-of-all-trades talent covered a wide range of working experiences.

He started by building houses with his longtime friend Michael Kearney, the owner of M+K construction.

In 1999, Jimmy and Carol took a leap of faith, packed up and moved to North Woodstock, NH and purchased The Maple Lodge Motel + Cabins. Repeat guests, family and new friends alike vacationed at this beautiful property during the summers in the White Mountains. During the winters, Jim was the resident DJ with his love for music and operated the tow ropes at the Kancamagus Ski Area.

He loved the winters, traditionally playing hooky with his sons to ski in the first fresh powder of the season and one year invented the “Jim-boni” - something he used to keep his ice rink in ideal skating conditions in his front yard.

In recent years he repurposed his talents working with the guys at Beau Trusses in Boscawen.  This allowed him to dream and build his paradise and forever home in Andover with his sweetie, Carol.  Together they turned an abandoned property into a farm bursting with life, gardens, animals and love.

When they moved to Andover, Jim renewed and strengthened his faith in God with the support and love of the Andover Community Church… drawn by the bells that he could hear from his front porch.

A funeral service will be held at Andover Community Church - 7 Chase Hill Rd, Andover, NH on Wednesday June 29th at 1PM. Immediately following there will be a graveside service at Lakeside Cemetery in Andover.

Assisting with arrangements is the Cremation Society of New Hampshire, Boscawen. To view Jim’s online tribute, send condolences to his family, or for more information, visit https://csnh.com