James N. Hillary

He was a good man

Dear Carol & Family,

Miriam and I were sorry to hear about Jim. I met him last year when I was in Grand Rapids and was looking forward to seeing him again next year. I will miss him.

I first met Jim in 1959 at a Parish church function up on Leonard street, one week after I had arrived in Grand Rapids from Ireland. I had been invited to sing at the function and afterwards Jim approached me and asked " What kind of an Irishman are you ? not knowing the proper lyrics of...

Dear Carol and Hillary family,
We were so sorry to hear about Jim, you are in our thoughts and prayers. I'll always remember how happy and funny he was (like his sister Kathy) Love Judy (Gibson) and Rick Dodge

Dear Carol, Darin, and family, I was so shocked to receive the letter from NYL telling about Jim's passing. What a great guy he was! He was full of optimism, charm, and great kindness. He will be so missed. I can just imagine the reunion he is having these days with Tim. Just please know you will be in our thoughts and prayers for many days to come. love, Terri Casey

Carol,
So sorry to hear about Jim. Thinking of and praying for you and your family.
Love,
Dee Jones

Dear Carol and Family,
I just received a letter from NYL stating that Jim has gone to his eternal reward. We just got back from a few months in FL and were unaware of your loss. We met Jim 46 years ago at Dick's Lakeside Inn on Crooked Lake in Parnell.
Jim sang at our wedding 45 years ago. He will always be one of our favorite Irish tenors. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you adjust to your loss.
He was a great Irishman and family man.
Norm and Rosemary Byrne

Dear Carol & family I am so sorry for your loss, Jim was such a great person, both physically & spiritualy. And what a devotion to Mary. When he sang the Ave Maria it was from his heart, I know. When I first heard him sing it was "Isn't He Beautiful" I will never hear it sung like Jim sung it. God Bless to all the family, esp. Deb. & Manny Love Anna (Naimo) Hankiewicz

Dear Carol and family,
Our thoughts and memories go back to St. James with Jim singing Ave Maria so beautifully there wasn't a dry eye in the church. Well, Jim will get to sing to our holy mother face to face. The rest of us will have to wait to hear him and see her. Thank you for all the wonderful moments back then. It sure was a happy place, and we sure were a happy community. See what the love of Christ can do. God be with all of you during this time. He is a wonderful soul who will...

Dear Mrs. Hillary and Family,
I've known Jim since 1966 when he convinced me (and at my dad's urging)that it was the best time to buy an Insurance Policy. I bought 4 over the years!! He was the consummate NYL agent. I just spoke with him on March 24th, 2009 to discuss Insurance questions and other "conservative" matters of the day pertinent to the economy. He always had a good joke to pass on and he always followed up with an e-mail and another humorous article. We had planned on having...