James Clifford Dobbs was born at Burnham Hospital in Champaign, IL on December 4, 1956, to Dwight and Patricia (High) Dobbs. He was named after a minister from Chicago who was a dear friend of his parents. His sister, Karla, was born in June 1959, and could make Jim laugh harder than anyone else.

It was no question to anyone who knew Jim that he was exceptionally intelligent, equally at-home as a creative or scientific thinker. This was evident even at a young age as Jim began school a year early and completed an accelerated program in Elementary School, to then attend University Laboratory High School, skipping a grade via subfreshman year, thus graduating at age 16. Not wanting to go to college yet, he attended Urbana High School for an additional year. 

As a child, Jim lived in both Champaign and Urbana, had swim lessons, learned to play guitar and sing. He worked for his parents at Urbana Office Machines, attended UIUC and Illinois State for theater and Parkland College for music, although he ultimately never completed a college degree.

A true Renaissance man, Jim had many careers and creativity always remained at the forefront of his professional and personal life. As a young man, he frequently performed at improv comedy venues and coffee houses, and being a fabulous guitarist, he led a rock band, “Unicorn,” as the lead guitar and vocalist. 

He owned the studio, “Metamusic”, an audio/video production studio and later, a separate venture, a digital programming/animation studio. 

He also composed songs (“That's the Way the Game is Played”, “Bite Me”, etc.), poems and other creative writing accomplishments, such as the play “Real Vampires Don’t Sparkle”. His musical influences, which he would pass on to his children, included: The Beatles, Jim Croce, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Judy Collins, etc. Jim taught and mentored talented guitar players for most of his life. 

He also was a member and Officer of the local IATSE Stagehands Union, working many shifts at The Virginia Theater and The Assembly Hall (now the State Farm Center). Imagine Jim braving the cat walk at the top of that big dome to install speakers for The Who’s Tommy or Cats National Tours!

Due to his unflappable charm and early experience working at Urbana Office Machines, Jim also found himself in several sales positions over his career - selling PC computers at Micropace, life insurance at Prudential, and Yamaha Clavinova keyboards at Samuel’s Music. 

Jim spent the second half of his life raising his beloved children, Erin, Caitlin, Dante, and Michael. He is remembered as a loving and supportive father who loved music, games of all kinds, and goofiness. He successfully passed on human/person-first values to all of his children, who are pursuing professional careers across the spectrum of STEM, the Humanities, and the Arts. 

Jim loved and felt fiercely, for better or for worse. The heights of his emotional life were a perfect match for the level of expression required by theatrical and musical performance. 

Many remember him for his involvement in local community theater throughout Central Illinois as a performer, director, designer, and technician, most notably for The Sunshine Dinner Playhouse, Champaign-Urbana Theater Company, and The Celebration Company @ The Station Theater, among many others. He proudly originated a role in Mark Roberts’s play “Rantoul and Die” at The Station with Gary Ambler, Anne Shapland Kearns, and Mike Harvey.

Jim was always an early-adopter of technology. He got his first digital camera in 2001 and the photos he took of the family trip to Jackson Hole, WY are legendary, not to mention the millions of selfies he took over the years.

He also loved movies and was a frequent flyer at the video rental stores that C-U had to offer, until we were inevitably not welcome back due to late fees or a lost DVD. Jim’s kids share fond memories of going to the video store and enjoying movies of all kinds together. When Jim bought the family a DVD player, Christopher Guests’s Waiting for Guffman was our first DVD. 

In 2015, he met his partner Rikki Brady, with whom he shared 9 beautiful years of fun, love, and companionship. They were engaged in 2018.

Jim’s family circle grew again as Rikki and her children and grandchildren graced his life. He was utterly thrilled to get to be “silly papa” to grandchildren Mya, Iris, Juniper, and Jonah.

Jim was an avid reader, with an impressive collection, especially of the science fiction and fantasy genre. Some of his favorite authors were Stephen King, Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut, and Tolkien. 

He was a competitive Scrabble and Risk player, and lover of computer games such as Sim City, The Sims, Civ (1800+ hours) Skyrim (1,500+ hours, Fire Emblem (broke the game timer falling asleep playing), and Endless Ocean. Jim was also visually artistic - working with mediums like calligraphy, clay models, drawing and coloring. A cat lover, though Jim cared for many pets throughout his life, most notably: Merlin, Baby and Sox the cats, Brindy, Starbuck, Angel, and Bedford the dogs, and Gandalf the African Gray Parrot. 

Jim is preceded by his parents, Dwight and Patricia. He is survived by his partner Rikki, four children: Erin, Caitlin, Dante, and Michael, sister Karla and brother-in-law Norman, and his honorary children and grandchildren: Ashley, John, Nick, Korri, Katie, Jeff, Morgan, Nick, Mya, Iris, Juniper, & Jonah. Not to mention countless friends, students, coworkers, and collaborators who will carry the warmth of his gentle heart with them forever.

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