Born in South Bend, Ind., to Alexander and Dorothy Hunziker, of Niles, James Melvin Hunziker was preceded in death by his father, mother and sister, Mary McCoy, of Dowagiac. His survived by his brother, Jerry (Pamela) Hunziker, of Niles, and his brother-in-law, Craig McCoy, of Dowagiac.

Jim was a two-time veteran: World War II and Korea.

He was cremated with his remains going to the National Veterans Cemetery in West Palm Beach, Fla.

After graduating from Niles High School, he attended Michigan State University and New York University Farmingdale.

As a construction manager, his specialties were in site landscaping and golf course construction. He worked primarily in semi trop and tropical zones, with the focus on utilizing plant materials indigenous with the areas he was developing.

He did projects in the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Australia, Tahiti, Egypt and Romania.

Jim assisted in water resource management, and utilized indigenous plants rather than bring in outside plant materials.

He developed a nursery with the goal to use those locally grown plant materials for his projects.

As manager of his site developments, he focused his energies on using local labor to encourage growth and the common good.

He enjoyed living a healthy lifestyle by eating fresh local-grown foods and running every morning before beginning his heavy workload and managing his plant materials.

For many years, he lived in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, making his final home in Belize.

Contributions may be made to the Hospice of West Palm Beach and Broward County, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, Fla. 33407.