James "Jacques" Anthony Michienzi

Lieutenant-Colonel James “Jacques” Anthony Michienzi, U.S. Army, Retired, at the age of 101 years, passed away peacefully on July 27, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The son of immigrants from Calabria, Italy, Jacques’ father earned U.S. citizenship because of his service in World War I. Inspired by his father’s service, Jacques joined the U.S. Army’s 17th Airborne paratrooper division at the outbreak of World War II, beginning a distinguished 30-year career in the military. After the Second World War, through the ROTC program at the University of Nevada, Reno, he earned his officer’s commission and soon took command during the Korean War and later served two tours in Vietnam.

Jacques was an exemplary and extraordinary American patriot, earning this nation’s top awards and decorations. His honors include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Flying Cross, along with many other citations for his participation in this nation’s calls for protecting its freedom. He also was recognized for his personal heroism, earning five Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars and six Purple Hearts. His noteworthy exploits include parachuting over the Rhine River, his second combat jump of the war, and as part of Operation Varsity, he fought and narrowly survived the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies’ final push to defeat the Nazis. Toward the end of his career, he further distinguished himself when commanding his battalion in Vietnam by severely disabling the opposing enemy and capturing the battalion commander.

He retired from the military a Lieutenant Colonel in 1973, and eventually in 1980 with his family, took up residence in Chapel Hill, NC. There, he embraced civilian life as an independent businessman and shared his passion for tennis by coaching and mentoring the youth of the community. A devoted member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Jacques’s faith remained an essential cornerstone throughout his life.

Jacques was very proud of his Midwestern roots and upbringing in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he became an avid sportsman which included hunting and fishing. He attended Cretin Academy for Boys (now Cretin-Derham Hall preparatory academy) where he is honored in its Athletic Hall of Fame for his prowess in two sports: football and basketball. In 2023, he was given the Richard R. Engler Lifetime Achievement Award which is presented to honor a lifetime of exemplary service and dedication to Cretin-Derham Hall and the broader Cretin-Derham Hall community. Throughout his life, up to age ninety-six years, he spent much of his avocational time flyfishing all over the world, from Canada and Chile to Panama, and across the United States—Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Virginia and North Carolina. He passed on his fishing stories and piscatorial secrets to his son-in-law and grandson who maintain this legacy.

Jacques was a real “people” person. During his military service, he was known as a “soldiers’ soldier” commanding from the bottom up, focusing first on the welfare of his men as he proceeded to complete his missions. He had a unique quality of making anyone he met feel that they were the most important person at a given moment. Almost everyone has a unique “Jacques's story” about how they met and how genuine and special their interactions were. He was friendly to a fault, quick with a smile and always curious about those he met. Jacques’ sense of humor was often corny, and he would surprise his family, friends, and comrades with slap-stick style gestures and actions that left his audience amused. He will not be forgotten by anyone who knew him.

Jacques is survived by his wife of 69 years, Dorothy Daniel Michienzi, whom he met and married in Minneapolis, MN. Also survived by daughters Anne Marie Culbertson and partner Jerry Colson, Nancy Jo Black and husband Thomas Black, Lisa Jean Dean and husband Brad Dean, and four grandchildren, Matthew S., Maria, Mia, Evan, and one great-grandson, Koen, and one step-grandson, Matthew T.

Our loving family now holds him forever close in our hearts, as we are forever in his.

A funeral mass will be held at 2:00pm on Monday, August 11, 2025, at the St. John Fisher Chapel located on the South Campus of St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 632 Laurel Hill Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27514. A reception will follow at Carolina Meadows, 100 Whippoorwill Ln., Chapel Hill, NC 27517. Jacques’ remains will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in remembrance may be directed to the Employee Education Fund at Carolina Meadows.