James P. "Jim" Citrano

James P. "Jim" Citrano, 83, passed away surrounded by his family following a fall that injured his spinal cord.

Born on January 2, 1942, in Newark, New Jersey, Jim grew up in the small town of Verona. He graduated from Verona High School in 1960 and attended Colgate University, where he was a member of the football team, the Colgate 13, glee club, and Delta Upsilon fraternity. While in college, Jim enrolled in the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) program, and upon graduation he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.

During basic training in Quantico, Virginia, Jim met Eileen Fogarty, the sister of a fellow Marine and a student at Georgetown University. They were married shortly after he completed his training, and together they moved to Pensacola, Florida, for flight school.

In 1967, Jim was deployed to Vietnam as an H-34 helicopter pilot with HMM-363, the "Lucky Red Lions," flying assault support missions. On one occasion, after his helicopter went down, he was able to restart the aircraft, fly to a carrier, and deliver the wounded with only minutes of flight time left on the damaged helicopter. For his valor, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war, Jim returned to the Northeast and began his business career with EDS, Ross Perot's company, in Manhattan. A business trip in 1972 led to a job offer in Jacksonville, Florida, where he relocated with his wife and four young children. There, he built a successful 40-year career in commercial real estate property management, development, and brokerage, ultimately serving as Managing Director of CBRE's Jacksonville office.

Jim generously dedicated his time to the community, serving on numerous civic and business boards, including St. Vincent's Hospital, NAIOP, Guardian of Dreams, the University of North Florida, the Jacksonville Downtown Development Authority, and the Jacksonville Port Authority. His career and community service brought him countless friendships, which he deeply valued.

A natural athlete, Jim ran both the Savannah and New York marathons in his younger years and was an avid snow skier. Throughout his life, his greatest passion, was exercise - he especially cherished his daily walks to Epping Forest in retirement, where he enjoyed both workouts and camaraderie. More than anything, Jim loved cheering for his children and grandchildren while they participated in many sports. Jim cherished spending time with his nine grandchildren, scrapbooking their many photographs and awards, and assembling them for family events and dinners.

Jim was predeceased by his parents, Leonard V. Citrano and Rose S. Citrano. He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Eileen Fogarty Citrano; his children Sheila Bontempo (Thomas), James P. Citrano, Jr. (Hillary), Thomas Citrano (Beth), and Kara Leonard (Eddie); and his grandchildren Maggie Rose and Georgia Bontempo, James Citrano III, Janie and Emily Citrano, Quentin and Gabe Citrano and Cal and Michael Leonard; his sisters Elaine Citrano Sutherland and Leonora Citrano Green.

A Rosary will be held at San Jose Catholic Church on Sunday, September 7th at 5:00pm. The Funeral mass will be held the following day, September 8th at 10:00am.

Friends and family are invited to gather to honor Jim's life and legacy immediately after the service at Epping Forest Yacht Club.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Fund for Bishop Kenny High School, 1055 Kingman Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 32207.