James L. Klas, Sr., 81 of Plainfield, passed away on March 03, 2026 in his residence. He was born on July 21, 1944 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, to the late Evelyn (Diefenbach) and Lester Klas. James married Sharon Skaggs on May 02, 1964 in Des Plains, Illinois and she preceded him in death.

James worked as a station agent at American Airlines for over 35 years retiring in 1995. During his down time he was a model railroader and spent many hours designing and building functional, scaled-down layouts for his hobby.

Survivors include his sister, Sharon Harmsen (Mike) of Beaver Dam, WI; nieces, Michelle Stapleton of Avon and Shauna Smith, nephews, Anthony Edwards of Brownsburg, David Edwards of Avon, Brad Smith, and Blake Smith; and sister-in-law Tammy Smith. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Sharon Klas; sons, James Klas, Jr., Jeff Klas; sister, Kathleen; and sister-in-law, Donna Dybalski.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 07, 2026 in Hall-Baker Funeral Home with burial to follow in Maple Hill Cemetery, Plainfield. Visitation will be from 11:00 am until the service time in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the National Ataxia Foundation P. O. Box 27986 Golden Valley, MN 55427 or online at https://www.ataxia.org/donate/