By Sterling McGinn and Dan Hardenbrook
It wasn’t a Newberry High School (NHS) athletic event without the presence of James Depew. Whether he was cheering on his children, grandchildren, or simply rooting for his favorite Newberry Indians—he was there.
Depew left a lasting impact on generations of Newberry Indians through coaching, teaching or being a friend.
Depew died on Sunday, August 17 at McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey. He was 88 years old.
What felt like the whole community of Newberry gathered at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church for visitation and funeral mass on Friday, August 22. His funeral was a testament to the lives he touched for decades.
He was born on August 5, 1937, in Munising, where he attended school, and graduated from William G. Mather High School in 1955. He excelled in football and basketball in high school, and in 1954, Depew and his team were U.P. Champions.
After graduation, Depew attended Sault Tech (now LSSU Lake Superior State University) playing for the Sault Tech Hornets Basketball team. The 1956 team, which was inducted into the LSSU Hall of Fame in 2002, still holds standing records. Those include: most points per game, most wins in a season, and highest win percentage. He continued on to Northern Michigan University where he played one year of JV basketball. He earned a degree in Physical Education and later a Master of Education/Administration.
Depew first taught at Eben Junction and moved to Newberry in 1965, where he coached football, basketball and golf and taught at NHS. He later became an insurance agent operating Jim Depew Agency in Newberry, which is still in the family.
Community service was also high on his priority list. He was a member of the Newberry Elks Club, Newberry Area Ambassadors, Newberry Sports Boosters, and a member of St. Gregory’s Catholic Church.
Depew was also an original board member of the NHS Athletic Hall of Fame, inaugurated in 2013. He served on the committee for approximately seven years.
But most of all—he was proud of his family. Depew and his wife, Laurie, had five children: Molly, Kenn, Robert “Hondo”, Jason “Ace”, and Jimm. The couple had 18 grandchildren.
Coaching and making an impact on future generations runs in the Depew family. All his sons have followed in their father’s footsteps, coaching various teams and levels at NHS.
For Hondo, who also led efforts at the youth level and has been the longtime organizer of the Newberry Youth Basketball Association, the family mantra has always been about how you do it and not what you accomplish. “For myself and my family, it was the effort to succeed that mattered most. It was never about whether or not you actually did,” Hondo said.
Hondo’s father shared lessons with friends and family, impacting too many lives to count, both in sport and in life.
“He influenced his whole family and friends to always be thoughtful of your actions. Prepare and be detailed. And then be sure to have fun!” Hondo said.
Hondo has heard from many of those who credit his father with shaping their lives for the better.
“Former student athletes, from Tom Watson, a legend who was a part of dad’s first years in Newberry and became a hall of fame coach and superintendent in Gladstone, to guys like Mike Perry, Jim Mills, KC Wilson, David “Goober” Bouchard. Kline Kauramaki has told me he wouldn’t have been successful in life if not for my dad’s influence. Numerous folks credit him as an excellent educator as well. The amount of people is just staggering.”
When his coaching days were done, Depew was still front and center at almost every Newberry sporting event imaginable. He took great pride in being the number one fan and cheerleader for so many student athletes, including several grandchildren who wore the orange and black. But he wasn’t focused solely on his family. To so many who knew “Papa Jim”, he made everyone feel welcomed and like they were part of his family.
Matthew Rahilly, a 2025 Newberry graduate and multi-sport standout athlete cherished the time he spent with Depew, and the conversations that often-surpassed sports.
“I don’t know how someone becomes so loving, so caring, so accepting, and so kind, but that’s the person Papa Depew was. Talking to him brought me joy every time. He was so genuine, and he would always tell it to you straight. He was just one amazing person, and I will cherish every conversation I had with him.”
Rahilly remembers stories shared of the close relationship Depew shared with Rahilly’s grandpa, Tom, and the experiences the two shared along the way.
Rahilly also made a point to seek out Depew, who was one of his biggest supporters.
“Every time I played on our home field, or our home court (that papa helped design), I would always try to find him sitting in the stands or standing on a fence. He always had that trademark smile on, and was laughing with the person he was talking to. That was the man I wanted to make proud; the friend that I wanted to put it all out there for. It always made me happy to see him watching me play and I hope I made him happy when he watched me play.”
Matthew says the memories and the lessons learned will last a lifetime. “From the stories he told me, to the lessons he’s shared with me, a man like that can never truly be gone. He will live forever inside us all.”
