James Davis McCluskey

James Davis McCluskey, MD, MPH, PhD, FACOEM, passed away on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 1:20 p.m., at the young age of 52.

Jim, as he was known to all, was born on August 30, 1970 in Burlington, VT. He was the only son of Susan Twible Lestock, and the only grandchild of Harlan and Alice Twible.

Jim graduated from the University of South Florida with several degrees, including a BS in Biology, an MD from the College of Medicine, an MPH from the College of Public Health, and a PhD in Toxicology from the College of Public Health. Jim was a fountain of knowledge and expertise. His fascination with learning began at an early age. While the rest of us were outside playing during the summers, he was indoors, reading the encyclopedias cover to cover. It was nearly impossible to find a topic or subject that Jim did not know about, and more importantly, know about in great detail. He enjoyed teaching others, including his patients. Whenever his wife showed an interest in learning something new, he encouraged her to learn everything she could about the topic or skill.

On August 28, 1995, as Jim began his 2nd year of medical school, he met the love of his life, Diana Johnson McCluskey. Both Jim and Diana knew instantly that they had met "the one". It was a bit like those fairytales you hear about, but don't believe are true. They were engaged after 3 months of meeting, and married in 6 months. They were married for 27 years and 34 days. They spent basically every moment together, from their careers at the University of South Florida, to working from home, after life at the University.

Jim was born with a congenitally malformed kidney, and when he was only 18, the kidney failed. Despite the horrors of dialysis, Jim continued going to classes and earning top marks. After nearly 2 years on dialysis, he was blessed with a match for a kidney transplant. That kidney lasted for 30 years. When he discovered he needed a new transplant, several dear friends stepped forward to go through the extensive testing. Only Diana ended up being a match. She was scheduled to give him her left kidney in February of 2022, however it was not meant to be. Diana told Jim from the moment they met, that she would be the one to give him his next kidney. However by February 2022, other complex medical problems prevented him from being able to go through with the transplant.

Jim had a thriving private medical practice where he saw patients with complicated exposures. For the past several years he was the Medical Director for Publix Supermarkets. He also served as an expert witness in extremely complicated exposure cases. Jim was loved by his patients, because no matter what they were experiencing, he could relate, due to his own medical problems.

Jim was an incredibly generous individual, both with his time and effort, as well as financially. 10 years ago, Jim and Diana started the Workers Compensation Institute Give Kids The World fundraising gala that takes place every August. Together they would emcee the event, finding creative ways to empty the pockets of attendees, all for the goal of raising as much money as possible for Give Kids The World. Jim always put his money where his mouth was, and would pledge to match dollars raised for the "princess dress auction", a highlight of the annual event.

Jim was also very supportive of cancer research. As a two-time cancer survivor, he was always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to treat and eradicate cancer. He contributed heavily to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, as well as to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

In addition to his medical career, Jim was a great lover of art, antiques and travel. Jim and Diana traveled regularly to England, France and the Caribbean, spending weeks at a time in each country. They also enjoyed traveling to big cities around the United States. Art museums and historic homes/palaces were a favorite of Jim's in his travels. He could sit in front of one beautiful painting for over an hour, noting every tiny detail that any normal individual would miss. It was not unusual for him to see one room at a museum, during which time Diana would have seen the entire museum, and would be waiting at the end, reading a book.

Jim is preceded in death by his mother, Susan Twible Lestock and his grandparents, Harlan and Alice Twible. He is survived by his loving wife Diana Johnson McCluskey.

Services will be held at Tequesta's First Baptist Church, 423 Tequesta Drive, Jupiter, FL 33469, on Saturday, April 29th at 1 p.m. A reception will follow, at the McCluskey home.

In lieu of flowers, Diana requests that contributions be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.