Jim died way too soon ! We had just re-connected months before our first Committee meeting in 2012. He was directed to me by a business colleague and friend. Until Jim came to my office, the 3 of us had no idea of the connection! It was bizarre yet so exciting. Jim wanted so badly to be a part of this reunion. As sick as he was, the excitement of the Reunion I think helped him on his journey.
We had our first meeting on October 5th 2012 ~ Sadly Jim left us during the early morning hours of the 6th.
Joann Cortina Dandellis is his wife. Jim was loved by so many. We had a common bond with Cancer. I miss him.
I was relieved to have this information from Beverly as I saw Jim had died and was upset that there was no information about when, where, how, etc. Not knowing can be very upsetting. I met Jimmy when we were about 5 years old. Our mothers went to the same church and he was one of my best friends circa 1950 - 52. We played together a lot in those days, we rode our bicycles together in Portage Park and, basically, we liked one another. In the way of those things we lost contact while we were at Schurz, but his mother and mine made certain we had information of one another over the many years. We met up again at the Schurz 25th reunion and it was like shooting back to 1950. I saw him off and on whenever I visited aged parents in Chicago and then things went quiet again in the late 90s. I had the kind of connection with Jimmy one can only have with people met in childhood, and however infrequently we were in touch I know I will not have a friend like him again, and I miss him. Peace.
I knew Jim from a couple of classes ---gym, as I recall--at Schurz and in recent years would hear about him occasionally through his cousin Joanne who is in a group of Schurz alumni friends that Elaine and I have dinner with several times a year. When Joanne's mother died a few years ago, I saw Jim at the wake. He told me how much he was missing another classmate, Roger Johnson, who had died in 2007 which was just months ago at the time. Jim said that he and Roger got together once a week for breakfast. Roger was President and CEO of Alexian Brothers Hospitals at the time of his death and Jim was quite proud of his friend's accomplishments. Now they are both gone too soon.
Beverly (B J ) Davis (Reardon)
Jim died way too soon ! We had just re-connected months before our first Committee meeting in 2012. He was directed to me by a business colleague and friend. Until Jim came to my office, the 3 of us had no idea of the connection! It was bizarre yet so exciting. Jim wanted so badly to be a part of this reunion. As sick as he was, the excitement of the Reunion I think helped him on his journey.
We had our first meeting on October 5th 2012 ~ Sadly Jim left us during the early morning hours of the 6th.
Joann Cortina Dandellis is his wife. Jim was loved by so many. We had a common bond with Cancer. I miss him.
Gilbert O'Brien
I was relieved to have this information from Beverly as I saw Jim had died and was upset that there was no information about when, where, how, etc. Not knowing can be very upsetting. I met Jimmy when we were about 5 years old. Our mothers went to the same church and he was one of my best friends circa 1950 - 52. We played together a lot in those days, we rode our bicycles together in Portage Park and, basically, we liked one another. In the way of those things we lost contact while we were at Schurz, but his mother and mine made certain we had information of one another over the many years. We met up again at the Schurz 25th reunion and it was like shooting back to 1950. I saw him off and on whenever I visited aged parents in Chicago and then things went quiet again in the late 90s. I had the kind of connection with Jimmy one can only have with people met in childhood, and however infrequently we were in touch I know I will not have a friend like him again, and I miss him. Peace.
Jon Anderson
I knew Jim from a couple of classes ---gym, as I recall--at Schurz and in recent years would hear about him occasionally through his cousin Joanne who is in a group of Schurz alumni friends that Elaine and I have dinner with several times a year. When Joanne's mother died a few years ago, I saw Jim at the wake. He told me how much he was missing another classmate, Roger Johnson, who had died in 2007 which was just months ago at the time. Jim said that he and Roger got together once a week for breakfast. Roger was President and CEO of Alexian Brothers Hospitals at the time of his death and Jim was quite proud of his friend's accomplishments. Now they are both gone too soon.