James Schuster

Jim Schuster, 72, of Urbana, IL passed away Saturday, May 18, 2019.

He was born July 25, 1946 in Joliet, IL, son of Robert and Rita Schuster. He is survived by his wife Judy, his son Matthew (Karen) Schuster, and daughters Karen (Jonathan) Mech, Rebecca (James) DeGrazia, and Mary (Nick) Johnson, and grandchildren Evelyn and Marshall.

Jim graduated from Joliet Catholic High School, and later earned his Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture, and Master of Science degree in plant pathology from the University of Illinois. After college, he returned to Chicagoland and worked through U of I Extension as a horticulture specialist, teacher, and Master Gardener for over 40 years. In 2008 he returned to the Champaign/Urbana area for the last few years of his career with U of I as a pesticide trainer, until his retirement in 2011. Volunteering, teaching, spending time with family, and church activities always kept him on the move, as helping others brought him so much delight.

His family and friends will deeply miss his kind, generous, thoughtful, positive, and loving attitude. Jim battled Crohns Disease for most of his life, but never let it affect his joyous spirit. Jims Catholic faith brought him much strength, and his friends from church were a second family to him. He was a beloved husband, father, papa, brother, uncle, teacher, and friend, and he touched the lives of everyone he met.

Visitation will be at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Champaign, Illinois 710 N Neil St. Champaign, Illinois 61820 on Tuesday, May 28 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, May 29 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Matthews Catholic Church 1303 Lincolnshire Dr. Champaign Il. 61821 followed by lunch in the parish center. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation are appreciated: https://online.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/site/SPageNavigator/Honor_Memorials.

Services Visitation Tuesday May 28, 2019 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Sunset Funeral Home & Cremation Center Champaign-Urbana Chapel 710 N. Neil Street Champaign, , IL 61820 Funeral Service Wednesday May 29, 2019 11:00 AM St. Matthew Catholic Church 1303 Lincolnshire Drive Champaign, , IL 61821