Dear all. We have just arrived back in Tahoe so we are feeling particularly sad considering it is his birthday today . It is so surreal to imagine that you will not be driving up the driveway for the weekend as was your habit. Even more poignant to see the house on the market so needless to say, we are thinking of you all and will always hold our warm, neighbourly memories close to our hearts.

Happy Birthday Jim! We will be sure to do a ride out the back of the house on your behalf :)

Paul and Debbie.

Thank you to everyone who attended Jim's celebration of life and to all who were there in spirit. The outpouring of love was amazing and heartwarming. May we all keep Jim alive in our hearts forever.

If you were to ask anyone who knew me in high school how my first year went, they would probably tell you that miserably is an understatement. As an awkward and not particularly popular kid, there was nothing that I wanted more than to be treated as someone who wasn't an outsider. During the family reunion at Tahoe that summer, Jim gave me a taste of the inclusion that I so desperately wanted. From mountain biking high above the lake to sipping Bulleit on the shore at Gar Woods and everywhere in between, he never hesitated to take me on some of my first Tahoe adventures, inspiring in me the same deep love he held for life at 6,000 feet. This appreciation for a life spent outdoors and the self-confidence he unwittingly instilled in me are things that I am both immensely grateful for and will carry with me for the rest of my life.

I can think of no better encapsulation of Jim's life and the lessons I learned from him than the following line from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations: "If thou shalt be afraid not because thou must some time cease to live, but if thou shalt fear never to have begun to live according to nature—then thou wilt be a man worthy of the universe which has produced thee, and thou wilt cease to be a stranger in thy native land."

Jim lived without fear of death and had no reason to fear never starting to live, as anyone fortunate enough to have had their life touched by him knows. It goes without saying that he was a man more than worthy of the universe that produced him, and a friend to everyone in it. If I could live a life even marginally similar to Jim's, I would be truly happy.

Thanks for everything, Jim.

I'm still shaken that Jim has left us.  It's taken me a while to organize my thoughts and with his Celebration of Life coming up I'm ready to share my love of Jim.  I haven't seen Jim in quite a few years but we spoke often and stayed close via phone. I met Jim in about 1984 when he was working at the power plant in Plymouth.  Jim and Marianne took classes with my sister Liz at the gym we all went to.  Jim eventually moved to the brokerage business in Boston and we shared many business experiences in the '80's even though we never worked together at the same firm.  We also spent many winter weekends skiing in VT and NH. I missed Jim when he and his family moved to Phoenix but we always stayed in touch.  I had a conversation with Jim seven years ago about an issue I was having in my life and in typical Jim form he responded "No way man. We're in our 50's . We're too old for that s--t."  This simple advice helped give me the courage to make the change I needed to make and I've never looked back.

I look forward to meeting you all on Saturday and sharing more stories and experiences about our lives with Jim.  Best. John