James Julian Rocchi

1969 - 2021

James Rocchi passed away suddenly, of natural causes, on November 28 in Los Angeles, California. James is predeceased by his father Joseph, mother Patricia (Middleton) and brother Paul; he is survived by his wife Arianne (Ayers) Rocchi; his siblings: Ann (Dave Cox), Sarah (Sam Haffey), and Daniel (Neesa Kenemy); his stepmother Marilyn (Greenly) Rocchi and his former spouse Liz Bohm. James was also a delighted and dedicated uncle to Miranda, Natalie, Atticus, Fiona, Weston, Siena and Caelum.
James earned a BA from the University of Western Ontario. His interest in music, books and film set him on a professional path that included working in college radio, music journalism, and then film criticism. These roles took him from his hometown of Binbrook to London, Ontario, then Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Los Angeles. When he was looking for a new challenge in 2015, he became a high-school teacher, where he brought to his students the same enthusiasm, humor, erudition and love of people as he had brought to his previous career.
Outside of work he was known for being a generous host/cook, devotion to his cats, a title at the World Universities Debating Championship and as a Jeopardy contestant.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the Hamilton area in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or to the Toronto International Film Festival would be appreciated.