We hung around alot in grade school and high school. Many fun memories. Took my sister to Homecoming. (Should have been more protective of her!!) Saw each other off and on through the years. Finally attended the Indianapolis 500 with our group for several years. The first year he came, there was rain and lots of it. Since that time he became known as "Rainman". He embraced that nickname and even had a t-shirt made. He was low key but would come up with some funny stuff. We have a drink in his honor every year.
I was so sorry to see Jim's In Memory notice. In the years that I knew Jim, he was a good friend, quick to laugh, quick to share, and I never saw him lose his temper. We were friends at Leyden, and after graduation we shared a mutual interest in hobby electronics. We would spend countless hours driving all over the Chicagoland area in his big blue Ford, later a Mustang Mach 1. Mostly we would just hang out, talk, laugh, smoke, listen to records, and sometimes double date with our girlfriends. I went to his wedding in 1975, and saw him once or twice shortly after that. We then followed different paths in life and lost track of each other, and I never saw him again.
I looked up his online obituary and learned that for many years he was living in Elk Grove Village, only a mile away from me. For the last twelve years of his life, we actually lived closer to each other than we did back in high school, but didn't know it.
Kenneth Edl
Jim passed away in January 2019. Cancer.
We hung around alot in grade school and high school. Many fun memories. Took my sister to Homecoming. (Should have been more protective of her!!) Saw each other off and on through the years. Finally attended the Indianapolis 500 with our group for several years. The first year he came, there was rain and lots of it. Since that time he became known as "Rainman". He embraced that nickname and even had a t-shirt made. He was low key but would come up with some funny stuff. We have a drink in his honor every year.
He is missed but will never be forgotten.
Jeffrey Plettau
I was so sorry to see Jim's In Memory notice. In the years that I knew Jim, he was a good friend, quick to laugh, quick to share, and I never saw him lose his temper. We were friends at Leyden, and after graduation we shared a mutual interest in hobby electronics. We would spend countless hours driving all over the Chicagoland area in his big blue Ford, later a Mustang Mach 1. Mostly we would just hang out, talk, laugh, smoke, listen to records, and sometimes double date with our girlfriends. I went to his wedding in 1975, and saw him once or twice shortly after that. We then followed different paths in life and lost track of each other, and I never saw him again.
I looked up his online obituary and learned that for many years he was living in Elk Grove Village, only a mile away from me. For the last twelve years of his life, we actually lived closer to each other than we did back in high school, but didn't know it.
Rest In Peace Jim, thanks for being my friend.
Jeff Plettau