James Daniel "Jim" Wisniewski

Obituary: James "Jim" Daniel Wisniewski

James "Jim" Daniel Wisniewski, 58, of Scottsdale, Arizona, passed away on September 25, 2023. He was born on September 23, 1965, in Lake Forest, Illinois, to Daniel and Janet Wisniewski.

Jim, as he was fondly known, is survived by his parents, Daniel and Janet (Levesque) Wisniewski, his sister Jennie Werneck (Hugo), his nieces Isabella and Mila, his brother Charles "Chuck" (Sandy), his nephew Danny, his great-nephew Danny, his niece Sarah, and numerous cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Charles Wisniewski and Sophia (Czerwinski) Wisniewski, and Charles and Jeanne (Quellet) Levesque, as well as several aunts and uncles.

Jim attended Highland Park High School and after his graduation in 1984, he wanted to serve his country and enlisted in the United States Marine Corp from 1984-1989. During his time in the military he was stationed in Europe and in North Carolina. Following his discharge from the Marine Corp, Jim took advantage of the GI bill and immediately began to further his education. Jim was a true history whiz a real "walking encyclopedia" of history knowledge and he wanted to pursue teaching. He studied at the College of Lake County for his Associates Degree and then received his Bachelors of Science from Illinois State University in 1994. After moving to Scottsdale in 1997, Jim decided to pursue his teaching certification from Ottawa University.

Jim dedicated himself to a career in teaching for 20 years. As an esteemed teacher, He specialized in World History, American History, American Government, Geography, and Sociology. Jim's passion for education extended beyond the classroom as he also coached wrestling and track. He began his career at the Marion Burton School, teaching students with severe emotional and behavioral disorders for five years. He then joined Arcadia High School, where he taught for 15 years until 2019. Jim's dedication and expertise were recognized when he received the Outstanding American History Teacher award in 2014, and the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution Teacher of the Year award. Former students would often run into Jim who they referred to as "Mr. Wiz" and would tell they how he was their favorite teacher. In 2019, Jim decided to make a career change and went to work for the Veteran's Administration (VA). During his short tenure at the VA, Jim became even more impassioned about the poor treatment of veterans. In 2021, he decided he wanted to return to his true passion, teaching and took an administrative job at Scottsdale Unified School District with the hope of obtaining another teaching position.

Outside of his professional life, Jim had a deep love for the outdoors. He was an avid hiker and loved going on long bike rides along the canal. He could often be seen biking around the Scottsdale Greenbelt or Tempe Town Lake. Camping and kayaking the Salt River were among his favorite activities. Jim was also an enthusiastic sports fan, unabashedly supporting the Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks, Diamondbacks, and Cardinals. Jim loved animals and his two rescue kittens, Brutus and Remy have found a loving home with his nieces and are now terrorizing Kona and Chloe the dogs that beloved "Uncle Jimmy" loved and who equally loved him back. Jim is probably watching the daily chaos his kittens are causing from heaven and laughing at all of us!

A celebration of Jim's life will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2024, from 12-4 p.m. at the Elk's Lodge #2148 located at 6398 E. Oak St., Scottsdale, AZ 85257.

In honor of Jim's memory, contributions can be made to the Elk's Club #2148 in Scottsdale, AZ, or to the Gary Sinise Foundation.

Jim will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who had the pleasure of knowing him. He was as kind as it got, the kind of man who was always willing to help and would give the shirt off his back. May his soul rest in eternal peace.