We were planning a trip to Indianapolis today to say good-bye, but last night he died. We had visited him in June and saw a shadow of the man in this photo (taken in 1994). Jimmy won a baby beauty contest as a little guy. He was doted on by loving parents and grandparents (Neno and Biggie), and babysat by his older sister and brother. He was 10 years younger than my husband, and besides the years of separation, their personalities were totally different.
He served in VietNam, was married to Nancy Keel, and worked many years for the railroad. He loved, absolutely loved, hot cars. As a little tyke he started going to the Indy 500. In June he was still able to walk us to his stand alone garage which held with his "baby," a 1971 Chevelle that he restored and raced--not street legal. This garage was bigger than most houses and was outfitted with every imaginable tool for automotive work and was so spotless you could eat off the floor--also 2 easy chairs, a frig, and big TV, plus his 5-seater pick up truck, bright red. I'm guessing Jim and his buddies had some great times back there. Behind that garage was another full 2-car garage where they kept stuff like lawn equipment. He and Nancy have over 2.5 acres and have planted many trees. The love and care they put into that place reminded me very much of how his dad used to take care of his yard. Even in June he was too weak to ride the mower, so Nancy was doing it. And now unfortunately . . . she has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is still hospitalized. No services until she's well.
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