With a teary eye, I’m writing this. Jim was more than a friend. He was a colleague, a peer, and an employee/contractor to my team at Comunicano, but above all, he was a gentleman in every way. His gentle nudges in correcting my typos on VoIPWatch through the years were always so appreciated. His candor, professionalism, and wisdom were never lost on me.
Jim and I spoke a few months back, and he knew the end was near. He was doing all he could while his body started to fail him. But even then, on that call, as I drove back from Jerome, AZ, on the July 4th weekend, his mind was clear, sharp, and focused. He wasn’t promoting his ill health, but he asked that I let a few others know, which I did, notably Alec Saunders and one other close friend who Jim respected and appreciated.
Jim was a proud dad, most notably for his physician/inventor son, who made sure that he was getting the VERY BEST of health care in Toronto. We often talk about a proud father/papa in life. No one. No one. No one was more proud of his son and his accomplishments (which are many). This was not a recent sense of pride either, in his twilight moments. Jim had been that way since before my wedding in 2007, always talking about his doctor son to my former wife and still dear friend Malabed DO Helene (a physician herself).
Jim beamed when he spoke of his son and his wife of many years, and I know from the last conversation we had he was so appreciative of what his son was doing for him.
In life, we come across many people, but I think in our circle of friends, there was only one Jim Courtney.
RIP Jim…..