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James Simel Obituary
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Beloved husband of the late Penelope "Penny" Simel (nee Kawecki), whom he married on July 4, 1968, and who preceded him in death on February 13, 2015, loving father of Erica (Charles) Stevens of Keswick, Virginia, and Audra (Mark Bachara) Simel of Oak Park, Illinois, devoted son of the late Raymond and Irene Smielewski, dear brother of Margaret Smielewski, Bernadette (Kris) Adis, Paul (Celia) Smielewski, Mary (Tim) Maher, Dorothy (the late Carl) Lange, the late Barbara (Terry) Brown, the late Diana (Steven) Boone and the late Tom Smielewski, son-in-law of the late Edward and Stephanie Kawecki, brother-in-law of Deborah Ingram, loving uncle, great-uncle, and friend of many.
Jim grew up in Wood Dale, Illinois, and attended St. Meinrad's Seminary before joining the Army where he served as an MP. He started his career in real estate and went on to run an award-winning custom home construction business for more than 30 years. Jim built hundreds of homes in the Naperville/Aurora area, helping to spur the early growth of this now abundant community. He was an active member of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Naperville, serving on the Men's Club, September Club and most recently as Treasurer of the parish's Knights of Columbus chapter. Jim was an avid golfer and spent his retired years with friends on the course and volunteering for various charities.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 10:00-11:00 AM at Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 1450 Green Trails Drive, Naperville, Illinois 60540.
A Mass of Christian Burial will follow Wednesday, 11:00 AM in the church with Fr. Paul Hottinger officiating.
Interment will follow at SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery, Naperville.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim's memory may be made to: Knights of Columbus (www.kofc.org).
For more information, please call (630) 355-0213 or visit www.friedrich-jones.com
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James, please visit our floral store.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
2 Entries
Ken Peluso
April 23, 2025
Jim - words cannot express how sad I am that you are gone. Debbie and I loved talking with you at social events ever since our first Knights of Columbus Christmas Party at Angeli´s in 2015. You were always there for me when I needed a hand and not boy did your share of the work but also 2-3 other´s share. I knew we would get along great after you got talked me into playing poker after my first Men´s Club meeting and I didn´t get home until after 2 AM on a Tuesday night.
Rest in Peace my friend.
Ken Peluso
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Michael Maziarek
April 23, 2025
Jim- may you rest in peace. Thank you for all you did for our Knights of Columbus council, and for you friendship. You will truly be missed
Michael Maziarek
Grand Knight Council 16011
St. Margaret Mary Parish
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