James B. McGuire

James B. McGuire passed away Friday, February 9, at the age of 85. He leaves behind his loving wife of 29 years, Carla McGuire; his three daughters, Jenny (Mike) Kohls, Sue (Tim) Green, and Missy (Dale) Carr; his stepchildren, Jamie (Paul) Bibb and Craig (Cheryl) Sanders; thirteen grandchildren, Conor, Sam, and Kyle Kohls, Katie (Colin) Chocola, Abbie and Sean Green, Mallory, Ashley, and Natalie Carr, Matthew, Adrian and Charlotte Bibb, and Olivia Sanders; and one great-grandson, Louie Chocola. He is preceded in death by his parents Amelia and Bert McGuire, brother Herb McGuire, and grandson Joe Green.
Jim was born in Godfrey, IL, and grew up in the small town of Otterville. His family ran a dairy farm, and his love of nature, birds, fixing things, and cats was surely developed there. A tiny town, he attended a one-room schoolhouse that still stands today. He took apart engines and put them back together. He always had an affinity for cars, especially Corvettes, which began in high school when he would buy a car, add a better engine, sell it for a profit, and then begin the process again. This passion for cars continued throughout his life. While he was obviously bright, he had no intentions of going to college until a high school friend, headed to the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, asked if Jim would like to be his roommate. He accepted the invitation and headed off to college to study finance. He would go on to get his Masters of Finance from St. Louis University and work his way up through the investment ranks of St. Louis's top banks. He was respected and, in the aftermath of Black Monday of 1987, interviewed by the local news in his living room as a voice of calm and reason among the panic. He watched the markets with a love of bear markets and bargain buys. His frugality often paid off. He taught his daughters to play multiple sports, to fix things (with limited success), and to understand investment terms (with even less success.) The stock market was his work and his hobby. He loved what he did and encouraged others to find their passion so that their work would never feel like a chore.
It was through that work that he found Carla. Their shared interests, including investing, skiing and golfing, led them to almost 30 years of adventure through St. Louis, Cincinnati, Chicago, Flagstaff and Palm Beach. They also shared their beloved cats, the late Jicar, Pearl (recently passed) and Bailey. Jim was never so comfortable as he was with a cat next to him or on his lap. He was also a bird expert, knowing them just by a few colors or their calls. He could sit outside listening and watching them with as much enthusiasm as he watched his action movies. Indiana Jones, Die Hard, and Lethal Weapon, just watched on his last day, were among his favorites. Less well-known was his love of romances, quietly shedding a tear when the guy gets his girl.
Jim was humble, gentle, and had a good sense of humor. He conveyed his high expectations with no demands or drama, just the sense that you wouldn't want to let him down. He didn't give the answers but guided us to find them ourselves. He valued independence and showed love with respect, practicality, and steadfastness. He will be greatly missed.
A Memorial will be held at Braun Family Funeral Home in Columbia, IL on Saturday, February 24. Visitation begins at 2:00. Service at 4:00. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Baldrick's Foundation 6 is a Serious Number | A St. Baldrick's Team (stbaldricks.org) or the Monroe County Helping Strays Helping Strays | The Humane Society of Monroe County - Helping Strays