James H. Canada

James Harold Canada, age 68, of Wildwood, MO, passed away on Friday, December 9, 2022. He was born on July 11, 1954, in Galesburg, IL, to Harold Brown and Mary Lenora (Dilts) Canada.
Jim graduated from Galesburg High School in 1972 and Purdue University in 1976. He married Marta Swanson in February 1978. Jim was a lifelong Boilermaker fan and was proud to see his children follow in his footsteps. Jim cherished spending time with his family and friends. He loved vacationing at his home at Bass Lake, IN, where he enjoyed boating, fishing, grilling, and playing cards.
Jim was an avid networker who spent much of his time and energy connecting with and helping others. He was deeply engaged in the Quad Cities, Tulsa, and St. Louis communities through numerous civic and professional organizations. Some of these include the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Chesterfield, National Association of Suggestion Systems, Jaycees, Rotary Club, Junior Achievement, Toast Masters, United Way, Cub Scout pack leader and youth basketball coach.
Jim spent over 30 years in the corporate world developing a career that spanned major companies including John Deere, American Airlines, and Reuters. His dream was to one day start his own company, and nearly 15 years ago he realized that dream by founding Alliance Technologies.
Jim was a strong believer in servant leadership and in always doing the right thing for his customers, employees, and partners. He prided himself in creating a culture of empowerment and entrepreneurial spirit where employees felt like family. He was most proud of Alliance being named a top philanthropic company by the St. Louis Business Journal as he loved giving back to the community. He was on the board of Community Value Alliance, founder of the Business Development Team networking group, a member of Experts 4 Entrepreneurs, voted one of the best bosses in 2017 by Small Business Monthly, and recently named to the Titan 100 of St. Louis' top CEOs.
Jim is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Marta; daughter Colleen; son Mathew (Antoinetta); son Thomas; son Nicholas (Amalia); grandchildren Lucia, Dominic, George, and another due in January; sister Marylee (Mike); and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother Robert (Carole) Canada.
Visitation for Jim will be held from 1:00-3:00 pm followed by a memorial service at 3:00 pm on Friday, December 16, at Living Word United Methodist Church in Wildwood, MO, 17315 Manchester Rd. 63038.
Donations in remembrance of James can be made to Community Value Alliance at www.cvastl.org.
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