Obituary of James Aerts

James “Jim” Aerts, Local General Contractor, 76, passed away January 13, 2019 from complications of blood cancer. He was a lifelong resident of the St Petersburg area. Jim was a graduate of Northeast High in 1960. Honorably served in the US Coastguard, and was a State Certified General Contractor. He is survived by son, Michael Aerts of Clearwater, FL; Lindy Bond the Love of his life for more than 20 Yrs. of Tierra Verde, FL; sisters, Jean Shaw and Patty Southcomb of Tampa, FL; and brother, Bill Aerts of Nashville, TN. Jim had a passion for his profession and hobbies while enjoying his family and the growth of his son, Mike. Recent years have seen him enjoying world travel with his love, Lindy. As owner and President of Aerts Construction Co., Inc., he was responsible for the design and construction of many projects over the past 50 years. Boston Market Restaurants, food processing plants, car dealerships, storage facilities, custom homes and many dental and professional offices stand today as a reminder of his professional life.  Jim, however, was most proud of the fact that he left all clients happy and friends for life. Along with his construction skills, Jim learned his love of the outdoors from his father. Jim was an avid hunter, fisherman and diver. With his friends, he experienced all parts of the world in search of prey. Alaska, Costa Rica, Argentina and Mexico were some.  By far the most exciting fishing trips were with friends, Larry Bachnik, Tom Kaineg, John Strome and Bill Jansen into the waters around Florida. They caught grouper and snapper like no one else could. Like father like son, Michael has grown up fishing and hunting with Dad and continues his passion for the outdoors today. A memorial service will be held 10:30am Monday, January 21, 2019, at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr MLK St N, St Petersburg, FL 33704. A 1pm reception will follow at Isla Del Sol Golf and Tennis Club, 6000 Sun Blvd, St Petersburg, FL 33715. In lieu of flowers, donations made in Jim's name would be appreciated to the followinf organizations: MDS, https://www.mds-foundation.org/donate/, or American Cancer Society, https://www.cancer.org/involved/donate/memorial-giving.html.