lit a candle 19d agoMy uncle worked Xcel Energy too, said guys like James kept the lights on for all of us without anyone ever knowing their name. 77 years, 4 kids, a wife named Theresa. That's a full life. Rest easy.
Their story
James F. Wainright was a lifelong Minnesotan who spent his working years in the maintenance department at Xcel Energy and his retirement years in the small community of Rice, just north of St. Cloud. He was not a public figure in the conventional sense: no films, no office, no headlines…
James F. Wainright was a lifelong Minnesotan who spent his working years in the maintenance department at Xcel Energy and his retirement years in the small community of Rice, just north of St. Cloud. He was not a public figure in the conventional sense: no films, no office, no headlines before now. He was, in the description offered by those who knew him best, a man with a great sense of humor who was always smiling, a husband, a father of four, a veteran, and a familiar face in the churches and hunting grounds of central Minnesota.
Wainright was born on May 5, 1949, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to Harry and Violet (Perske) Wainright. He served his country in the United States Army before settling into civilian life in the Sauk Rapids and Rice area, where he would remain for the rest of his life. He spent most of his life in Sauk Rapids before moving to Rice, where he lived for the final 31 years.
Professionally, he built his career in maintenance at Xcel Energy, the Minneapolis based utility company that supplies electricity and natural gas across the upper Midwest. He retired from that position in 2002 after a long career keeping the company's operations running. Outside of work, he was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sauk Rapids, the same church where he married his wife, Theresa Shaw, on April 19, 1986. He was known among family and friends for enjoying hunting and fishing, pastimes that filled much of his time away from the job.
James F. Wainright died on September 28, 2026, at his residence, at the age of 77. His death was announced through an obituary released by Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home of Sauk Rapids, which handled the arrangements. No cause of death has been made public. A celebration of life is planned for a later date, according to the funeral home, though no specific arrangements have yet been announced.
He is survived by his wife, Theresa, of Rice; his children, Jeremy of Willmar, and Alex, Ross, and Caleb, all of St. Cloud; and his siblings, Robert of Sauk Rapids, Thomas (and his wife Mary) of Sartell, and Bev (and her husband Al) Gerads of Rice. He was preceded in death by his parents. For those who knew him, he is remembered less for any public accomplishment than for the warmth he brought to ordinary life: a steady career, a long marriage, a close family, and, as his obituary put it, a man who always seemed to be smiling.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by WJON.
true, the ones behind the scenes never get the credit