James David Leahy

James David Leahy, age 72, of St. Ferdinand’s Parish in Northwest Chicago, passed away suddenly on Saturday July 9, 2022 from natural causes. Jim was a loyal friend, a loving father, and a devoted husband. He was as he would describe himself, an affable Irishman.

Jim bore a charmed life, which began on June 23, 1950. Little Sheamaisin was the youngest of five children born to his two parents who hailed from County Cork, Ireland, Thomas Andrew and Nora O’Mahoney Leahy. He attended St. Ferdinand’s Elementary and was a proud 1968 graduate of Saint Patrick High School. Go Shamrocks! After which he attended St. Procopius College. At all of these places Jim made lifelong friends.

Jim played sports all of his life, especially team sports. He was a natural-born leader, a kind mentor, and a gregarious peacemaker. For many years he was an official for baseball, basketball, football and soccer. Jim’s whole life was very lucky but the luckiest day of his life was when he met Nancy Gaynor on St. Patrick’s Day 1978. Not only was he lucky, he was persistent, calling neighbors with false funerals to get her phone number, following her on various city buses, and asking her father for her hand three times before he finally was granted his blessing. They were married on September 9, 1979 and stayed happily married for forty-three years. Persistence pays off.

Jim traded at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange under the name UMP, rising through the ranks at Kleinwort-Benson with his characteristic combination of luck and persistence. He worked as a railroad conducter, a homage to his childhood love of trains, and wherever he worked his favorite part was always the people he was working with.

But Jim’s favorite occupation was being a Dad. He loved his children, Mary Kathleen and Thomas, and took great care nurturing their talents and spiritual growth. He shared with them his love of music, quizzing them on everything from the Beatles to Rossini. He was so good at being a Dad that he did it for everyone. He was always there to give a cold kid a warm coat or a sad child a kind word. Jim never failed to help anyone that was in trouble.

Jim was a deeply spiritual man and a servant of Christ who taught us to serve God by serving others. Whether to friend, of which you will find many, or to foe, of which you will find few and they all deserved it, he was always, always kind.

He will be dearly missed by all of his friends and loved ones. He is survived by his hunya, Nancy, his daughter, Mary Kathleen, and his son Thomas Andrew as well as his sister Noreen Smith. He is preceded in death by his 3 siblings Sister Mary Frances Leahy, William Leahy, Thomas Andrew Leahy and his parents Thomas Andrew and Nora.

A funeral mass will be held 10:30am Saturday July 16, 2022 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Elizabeth, IL followed by burial of the ashes in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 9:30-10:30AM at the Church prior to the Mass. A luncheon will follow in the church basement. Memorials may be given in his honor to Doctor’s Without Borders. Condolences may be left for the family at lawjonesfuneralhome.com.