James Hitz

Dr. L. James “Jim” Hitz, age 81, of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, died on Friday, October 13, 2006 at home, surrounded by his family. Cremation rites will be accorded and a Memorial Service will be held 4:00 p.m. Saturday, October 21, 2006 at the Frank-Law-Jones Funeral Home, Mt. Carroll. Pastor Mark Harkness of the United Methodist Church will officiate. A visitation will be held from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Saturday, October 21, 2006, prior to the memorial service, at Frank-Law-Jones Funeral Home. A general memorial fund has been established in Jim’s memory. Jim was born November 30, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Leonard and Pauline (Amstutz) Hitz. He graduated from Northwestern University and Loyola Dental School, and later moved to Savanna, Illinois to start his dental practice. Jim married Veray Collopy on August 14, 1954, in Chicago. When Jim met Veray, she became his partner, wife, and best friend. Veray passed away on June 17, 2006.Jim moved to Mt. Carroll, Illinois and Lemont, Illinois before retiring from dentistry in 1990. Jim was a member of the Masons and the Tabala Shrine, where he sang in the choir for many years. He was an active member of the Natural History Museum and loved to do volunteer work for them. Jim was an avid reader who loved Native American culture; he also enjoyed bead and leather working. Jim served in the army during World War II. He loved the outdoors and especially enjoyed spending time with his family. Jim will be dearly missed by four sons, David (Colleen) Hitz of Manteno, Illinois, Leonard (Cynthia) Hitz of Forks, Washington, Paul (Julee) Hitz of Mt. Carroll and John Hitz of Wilmington, Illinois; two daughters, Carla (Gary) Whitebread of Mt. Carroll and Rachael (Mark) Edwards of Fairplay, Colorado; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; Jim is preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Veray; and one brother, John.