James Tesno

James Tesno was born in Dayton, Ohio to Gertrude (Zimmerman) and Russell Tesno and departed this Earth on July 6th, 2025 in St. Marys, Ohio with his hand on Rip’s head. Rip is his beloved dog, named after the dog in “The Hunt,” a Twilight Zone episode where a hunting dog leads an old man away from Hell and into Heaven.

He is survived by his daughter, Theresa Tesno, his stepchildren, Amy and JR and their children, who he considered as his own. He is also survived by his sister Mary (Fred) Drakesmith. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Katherine Tesno, sister Barbie Tesno, and wives, Susan and Ann Tesno. He is both survived and preceded by more people he loved and cherished than anyone could ever count.

Jim graduated from St. Agnes and Chaminade in Dayton, then from The Ohio State University, and after that, attained his law degree from Ohio Northern University. He has many accolades, was on the board or held office for many varied organizations, and meant a lot to a lot of different people.  Jim was an unassuming man, equally effective in a court room as on a fishing boat, thoroughly masterful at walking into the Supreme Court as he was at walking on water. The most important thing about Jim was he was a man who valued substance over flash and detested pretension. He is an unassuming heavy-hitter, who cared much more about who someone was as a person than their list of accomplishments. He had many accomplishments, and would not want them enumerated here. He was extremely sentimental, saying he always hated funeral flowers because when they die, it is like losing the person all over again.

Visitation will be at Hogenkamp Funeral Home in Coldwater, Ohio on Thursday July 10, 2025 from 2PM-8PM and also Friday from 9A-10A. This is followed by the processional to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Montezuma for funeral mass, burial, and luncheon at 10:30. Please come and celebrate this fisher of men and man the fish all feared.