Hello, I am Jimis friend Dee from Our Lady of the Woods Church and here is just one of our stories.
This took place Easter 2008. We had a morning rehearsal on Holy Saturday. We practiced and when we finished we were hungry. We went to our usual restaurant and shared a reuben sandwich. We each had a bowl of their wonderful bean with ham soup. Not thinking about the activity this causes in our bodies, we finished and left the restaurant and went home. That evening was our Easter Vigil Mass at church, so we went back early to practice before the vigil started. All of the sudden the soup hit both of us. We looked at each other and started to laugh. The lunch was beginning to work and we werent feeling so good. He asked me if I had anything for gas. I said no. He said I have something in the car. He ran out and got whatever it was and we shared it. It worked for about t 20 minutes. Then we started laughing and could not stop. We went into the church with the rest of the choir, and I dont remember too much about the Mass. I was so miserable and so was he. He said at the sign of peace, dont hug me too hard, if you do, I will blow the organ right through the wall! Try to sing an Easter song after that!!!! Then he said Im not sitting in this chair tomorrow morning. He was the most fun of any person I have ever known. We had more laughs than we probably should have (especially in church).
Jim was one of the most faithful, friendly, warm, concerned and passionate people I will ever have the pleasure of meeting. He was very reverent when he prayed to his Lord. He loved his Lord.
Jim was real, what you saw is what you got. He didnt try to be someone or something that he wasnt. Meijers was good enough for Jim. It was his favorite store.
He brought sunshine into a room and like his memorial card says, when we feel the warmth of the sun, it will be him there with you for the rest of your days.
I hope you can feel him in your heart like I do. I will never be without him again. What a great person and wonderful friend.