Dear Emily and Kiyo,  

I still can't believe that we lost such a beautiful soul as Jim's  !

I've been thinking of you both and Jim daily...

He was always so funny, caring and compassionate too !

I was so happy when he would pick up his brother Joe and come to our home for cookouts a few times over the years - all the way to Nashua NH !

And he was always appreciative when Steve and I would call (maybe torture him with our  singing too) or text him on October 1st.... 

We (Steve and my brother Michael G. too) will be attending this most important  memorial of a wonderful cousin that will be so missed!

Love, Patty Brown

Kiyo and Emily please accept our sincere condolences.  Jim will be missed. 

Elaine & Steve

Dear Emily, 

Judith informed me that Jim had died. 

I only met Jim once in March 2009. Unfortunately, I did not have the occasion to know him more. I wish you well and my condolences. Keep up the good work.

In solidarity

Yvon

Oh no! I am so, so sorry to hear this sad (and shocking) news. I'm so sorry.

I'm sending my love and my best vibes and my best wishes. I'm so sorry.

Sometime during the pandemic, I started - for the first time in 50 years or so - to pray. To whom or what, I don't know. But it helps, a little, I think. So, I'm praying for Jim and you and Kiyo and everyone in Jim's circle of love.

Emily - your obituary/tribute is very beautiful. I hadn't seen Jim in long time ... but this story is completely consistent with my very fond memories of Jim: kind, smart, funny, unpretentious ... and fierce and brave about understanding, arguing, and writing about this fucked up world. And thanks for sharing these beautiful and very powerful photos. The photo of Jim and Kiyo at each other's throats, literally, made me smile, and cry. Kiyo is lucky to have Jim. I'm so, so sorry for his loss.

Back in the day, as Emily knows, a bunch of lefty UMass econ grad students and some of our variously radical and offbeat friends (including Jim) formed a softball team - “Brand X”(we took no corporate money and thus had no sponsor). For several years, we played in the Northampton town league. Those Brand X days are wonderfully memorable for me. A group of good and likable people, having fun, getting better, and taking it all appropriately seriously, and then enjoying each other over pizza and rolling rock – with still more friends - at Joe's on Market Street in Northampton. It was great relief from – and a great alternative to - the stressful and often degrading grad school experience. Getting to know Jim during those years was one more wonderful part of that experience. I was (and am) grateful to have shared the outfield and 100s of pizzas and several pitchers of cheap beer with Jim Dee. As one of the teams organizers, I appreciated that Jim was such a wonderful collaborator. He was lovable and funny and he had the whole thing in perspective. No inclination toward drama, and he skillfully diffused silly moments of drama pretty often. And, it turned out, Jim Dee was a *great* hitter. I remember my brother Carl commenting after one game, in his spot- on sportscaster voice: “All Jim Dee does is hit line drives!”

My amazing 31 year old daughter, Leah, called the other day, just after I'd learned that Jim had passed. At some point, for some reason (there are so many!) she said: “what percentage of men aren't assholes??” I thought: it's a low percentage. But Jim Dee was such a good man.

I'm so, so sorry about this said news, Emily.

Much love, Tim

My cousin Jim was a very smart, caring and funny family member. His passing came as a great and sudden shock to us all. His life was filled with constant and passionate knowledge about political situations, especially Ireland which he so fervently reported on. His passing has greatly saddened us all and still doesn't seem real, but we are comforted by his memory and the tremendous love he had for his family and friends. He will always be with us in spirit and will live on in our hearts and the great memory we have of him. Thoughts and Prayers especially to his son Kyo and his wife Emily who I hope will be sustained by this kindred soul and all their friends and family. God Bless you Jim! ❤️ Cheers! ☘️ Slaintè!! ☘️ ❤️ 🇮🇪  ✝️💐🕊️

i'm so sorry emily. in the time i knew him jim was a deeply decent, funny, engaged, and kind person. he had a deep and durable sense of justness, and we absolutely loved finding events that tested our values and beliefs about what makes for more justice, less injustice. what i cherished most was that we both enjoyed laughter while talking.

that's what i remember from the 80s-90s. what a thrill it was, about 2 years ago, to run into jim at granby liquors. i lost touch with yall, and was thrilled to learn that yall were in western massachusetts. jim and i promised to be in touch. never did. still, i laughed and smiled that we were able to pick up our conversation, update each other about our lives. it was good to see him.

i'll remember with gratitude 🙏🏾 jim's laugh, sense of humor, and deep commitment to more justice, less injustice. in ireland and everywhere. rest in peace good brother 💐

Back in the US, I persuaded him to write for the publication I edited and he contributed two pieces on Ireland (Securing the Irish Peace in 2006 (https://fpif.org/securing_the…) The Future of Irish Peace in 2010 (https://fpif.org/the_future_o…)) and a wonderful review of DC's Spy Museum (https://fpif.org/museum_of_sp… I was always pushing him to write a book about his experiences in Ireland. What I should have done, though, is just turned on a tape recorder during his tour of Belfast and transcribed his inimitable voice. 

I'll miss his political insights, his infectious chuckle, and those wonderful afternoons of relative youth in the white box of the squash court...