Christopher Allan James

Christopher Allan James, age 48, of Savanna, IL, died tragically in an accident on May 23, 2023. A funeral service will take place Thursday, June 1, 2023, at the Church of God in Mt. Carroll, IL, at 11 a.m. Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Law Jones Funeral Home in Mt. Carroll, on Wednesday, May 31. There will also be a visitation prior to Thursday’s service, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Chris was born March 1, 1975, the son of Derek “Rick” James and Patricia Colehour. He grew up in Mt. Carroll, graduating from Mt. Carroll high school with the class of 1993. In 1985 Chris’ mother married Jeff Janssen. Jeff played an instrumental role in raising Chris to be the man he was. In his younger years, Chris certainly earned a reputation as a fun-loving guy with a bit of a wild side. One summer, he and his buddies, Reid and Jon, got their hands on an old locker section that had been removed from the school. So naturally, they blew the damn thing up, with explosives. We think this may have triggered something deep within Chris, because for the rest of his life, he never missed an opportunity to ignite or obliterate something; like the time he blew a hole in the ice-covered pond for “ice fishing.” Weird that he didn’t have nearly as much interest in the “fishing” part, afterwards.

His wild side never got in the way of responsibility though, as he went right to work for Guffey Motors (now JC Carey Motors) as a mechanic. Chris loved working on cars, a passion (and expense!) he kept throughout his life. He then worked for Elkay for about a decade, before starting a career with the Illinois Department of Corrections, first as a correctional officer, then vehicle maintenance, then as a groundsman. He married Jamie Schnitzler, and together they had two sons.

Chris was one of those guys who didn’t shy away from things he deemed important. He kept his fun-loving demeanor, but also had a willingness to lean into responsibility. He was a Councilman and Treasurer for the AFSCME Union, and served on the Savanna City Council. He was an incredibly involved father, sometimes too involved, if you ask his sons. Even during those inconvenient 16 hour shifts, he’d find time to check in with his boys and make sure the homework was done, commitments were met, and everyone was making the most of their day. He was their drill sergeant of sorts, and although they didn’t always love it then, they’re thankful for it now. And wouldn’t you know it, that hard-ass of a dad turned into the biggest teddy bear the second his grandchildren came into the picture! Pop Pop was such a softy.

Perhaps Chris’ favorite thing in life was being there for his people. Family was huge to him, and beyond that, he kept many life-long, important friendships. He was a loveable guy, but the funny thing is, you didn’t always realize it until you got to know him. In fact, his coworkers would often say, “everyone thought he was a d*** at first, but…” For some reason they never finished the thought, so we’re just going to assume good things follow the “but.”

Chris kept busy with all sorts of projects and endeavors centered around those he loved. He enjoyed vacationing in Hawaii with family, and taking spur-of-the moment road trips to pizza places in Chicago, ice cream parlors in Wisconsin, or to pick up some crappy old dartboards with his cousin Brady in some terrible neighborhood, hours away. He was a big supporter of MC Motocross and the Rhythm Section Amphitheater. In fact, he even married the love of his life out there. On July 4, 2016, Chris married Samantha Sipe, and of course, there were plenty of fireworks; orchestrated by non-other than the firework/explosives extraordinaire, himself. That day he gained a wife and two additional kids. Fireworks expert wasn’t Chris’ only earned title. CEO of MC Motopark, Jeep connoisseur, and Savanna’s best mayor that never was, are a few others that certainly apply.

Chris and Sam were the type of couple who found a way to share in each-other’s hobbies and interests. Sam loved camping so they bought a camper and dove into the camping lifestyle; and frankly, Chris hated it. So, in an effort to change that, they bought a bigger, better camper, and guess what happened…Chris still hated it. But he endured because he loved seeing Sam happy. Sam was always eager to participate in Chris’ hobbies too. The problem was, she was better at them. Chris loved darts and cornhole, and Sam would whoop him in both. It didn’t take long for Chris and Sam to team up in a dart league, certainly saving their marriage!

You see, Chris was always the type to show his love by embracing other’s hobbies. He was a man who worked with dedication (even with a broken toe) and who would do anything for his family and friends. He will be dearly missed. He is survived by his wife, Sam; sons, Hunter James, of Hauptstuhl, Germany and Chase (Abbie) James of Albuquerque, NM; step children Kharissa Anderson and Austin Anderson, both of Savanna, IL; grandchildren, Emmett Dunk and Carter James; parents, Jeff and Patty Janssen and Rick James; sister, Beth (Dave) Jones, of Mesa, AZ; nephews, Cody Johnson, David Jones III, and Charlie Jones; honorary brother, Reid B. Law, of Mt. Carroll; mother-in-law Jodie Sipe; “work wife,” Denise Chandler; and many other beloved family members and friends. Chris is preceded in death by his grandparents, Dick and Diane James, and his father-in-law, Michael Sipe.