Francis James "Jim" Donnelly, Sr.

Born Francis J. Donnelly on Sept. 20, 1920 to Thomas and Ella Donnelly in Wilke Barre, PA, he was the third oldest of 6 children. When Jim was only 9, his father passed away suddenly, leaving the family without financial support at the very beginning of the Great Depression. Jim and his older brother Thomas worked any job they could to help feed and clothe the family, shoveling coal, cleaning out furnaces, shoveling snow, delivering groceries, scavaging orange crates from the dump for firewood. Thanks to the efforts of the two boys and friends and neighbors, the whole family made it through that scary time.

In high school, Jim continued to work everyday after school at grocery stores, the local gas station and other places that would hire him. He became known as one of the best dancers in high school, a jitterbugging favorite with all the girls at Saturday dances.

1942 came and Jim volunteered to join the Coast Guard and during a brief stint patrolling the Mississippi River, docked at Cairo IL. On shore leave, he met a pretty ticket taker at the Cairo movie theatre. Transferred overseas, he served on active duty on an aviation fuel tanker in the South Pacific until after the war and then returned to Cairo and married that ticker taker, Margaret Jo Flamm.

Two children later (Jim Jr. and Peggy), and a series of truck driving and construction jobs and travels from Yorktown VA to Venice CA, Jim and family finally settled in Tuscola and began his career with Cabot Corporation just as they were building their new Cab-o-Sil plant outside of town.

After a long and varied career as Warehouse Manager and then globe trotting production systems troubleshooter, Jim retired from Cabot. Trips to Ireland and Germany and Branson MO and lots of breakfasts and holidays with his beloved Margaret Jo, grandchildren, family and friends filled his days. Everyone knew Jim and Margaret Jo in Tuscola.

And everyone saw him every day over 9 years attending to Margaret Jo after she succumbed to dementia. Every day, morning until after sunset, he was with her, keeping her company and making sure she was cared for. With her passing, Jim stayed a visible presence around town with trips to the library to indulge his passion for reading, having coffee, talks with longtime friends and keeping his house immaculately maintained.

In his 93rd year, Jim lost both his grand daughter Katie and her mother, Jim's daughter Peggy and he moved from Tuscola to Lake Zurich IL, closer to his children's families.

On January 11, 2016, Jim passed after a long and very full life, through war to peacetime, a member of the Greatest Generation. He is survived by his son Jim Donnelly Jr and his wife Suzanne; his son-in-law Joseph Cinquegrani; grandchildren Jocelyn Donnelly, Caroline (Cinquegrani) Donahue and her husband Mark and Joseph L. Cinquegrani; his brother Paul Donnelly and wife Carol and their sons Paul and Gary and their families; sister-in-law Elinor Donnelly and her children (Sharon, Annette, Paul and John) and his niece Tony (Bonavina) Ide, Tina (Bonavina) and nephew Jamie Bonavina.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, January 16, 2016 at the Forty Martyrs Catholic Church, 201 East Van Allen Street, Tuscola, IL with Father Angel Sierra as celebrant. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the church Saturday. Burial will be in the Tuscola Township Cemetery, Tuscola, IL with military graveside rites accorded. Hilligoss Shrader Funeral Home, 705 South Main Street, Tuscola, IL is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Online condolences may be shared via www.hilligossshraderfh.com