James 'Jim' Feathergill

James E. “Jim” Feathergill, U of I Fan, Cubs Fan, painter, golfer, bowler, horse race aficionado, dancer, singer, traveler, fisherman, puzzle whiz and all around lover of life, died on Wednesday, May 14th, 2014. Jim was born May 9, 1926 in Urbana, Illinois. He lived his entire 88 years on 2 different addresses on Clark Street in Champaign. A life goal was to live on Clark his entire life - this he achieved. Jim is survived by his beloved wife of almost 62 years, Eva. He is also survived by his four adored daughters, Kathy (Bob) Lowry of Woodland Park, CO, Barbara(Bob) Dittmeier of Richmond, VA., Janey (Ron) Adams of Champaign, Il., and Betsy (Steve Fromholtz) Feathergill of Hendersonville, N.C.; his five grandchildren, Elizabeth (Adam Savitskie)Lowry of Conshohocken, PA., Carolyn Lowry of East Lansing, MI, Sam Adams of Durham, N.C., Steve Adams of Mahomet, Il., and Sean Adams of Seattle, WA.. Jim lost both of his parents, Oscar and Lucy, by the time he was 16. He also said good-bye to brothers Ted and Charles (Doss). He is survived by his brother Bill and sister Vera Gilroy and numerous nieces and nephews - many of whom have exclaimed that Jim was "their favorite uncle." He worked 27 years for the Physical Plant of the University of Illinois as a facilities painter. Following retirement, he and Eva crisscrossed the country dropping in on the California/Oregon cousins and visiting their daughters. An avid fan of all U of I sports, Jim spent many an afternoon yelling at the TV as the officiating has always been unfair to his Illini. Jim was also a Cubs fan and suffered a lifetime of regret that he never saw them win a world series. Golf - especially if Steve Stricker was playing - was another passion. His other interests were varied. Neighborhood squirrels and birds were never hungry. He enjoyed his morning coffee group at Meijer's and his afternoons at the OTB. He was a great dancer and in his youth others cleared the floor to watch when he and his partner took to the floor. He was also rumored to have taught Hugh Hefner how to jitterbug - a story he told and re-told with much frequency. Without a doubt, the greatest joys of his life were his four daughters. He took pride in all of their many achievements bragging about them to all who would listen. He loved his two granddaughters, but was overjoyed when three grandsons were born. He was a constant - sometimes noisy - presence at many of their sporting events. Visitation will be held Saturday, May 17th, 2014 at Sunset Funeral Home, 710 N. Neil Street, Champaign, IL from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. A celebration of his life will follow at 1:00 p.m at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jims name to the Central Illinois Alzheimers Chapter, the Champaign County Humane Society, or WILL-TV. Please join Jims family in sharing photo, video, and memories of his life on his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.