With a heavy heart.........

Hi All, My name is JR and Jim was my step Dad. The memorial service was today and went as well as expected. Some of his local hunting friends gathered after the service and released pheasants into the habitat that he loved so much. Perhaps I can get a couple photos to BeirlSetters and he could post them here. I came into Jim's office tonight to just sit, this is where Mom found him after the heart attack. His computer was still on and I found myself here, it apparently was his favorite online "hangout". I know Jim enjoyed all the friendships he developed through hunting and some of you are on this forum. I hunted a lot with Jim when I was younger but got sidetracked by a busy life and having children. This fall was going to be my 6 year old daughters first year tagging along with her "Farm Grandpa" to "chase" pheasants. I was also looking forward to getting back into it. I took Bailey on a long walk tonight which she really enjoyed, she is a lost dog right now and I believe has realized that her master is gone. I thank you all for the memories about Jim and hope that you add some more. When things settle down I will join this forum as I don't know Jim's password for his account and I assume when I turn this computer off his account will be logged off. I hope those of you who knew Jim will continue his warmth and generosity to strangers and younger hunters that he was so well known for. That is what he would want his legacy to be and how he would want his friends to honor his memory. I know I am a better man for having him in my life. I look forward to seeing some of you this Fall on opening day! Sincerely, JR
 
Hi All, My name is JR and Jim was my step Dad. The memorial service was today and went as well as expected. Some of his local hunting friends gathered after the service and released pheasants into the habitat that he loved so much. Perhaps I can get a couple photos to BeirlSetters and he could post them here. I came into Jim's office tonight to just sit, this is where Mom found him after the heart attack. His computer was still on and I found myself here, it apparently was his favorite online "hangout". I know Jim enjoyed all the friendships he developed through hunting and some of you are on this forum. I hunted a lot with Jim when I was younger but got sidetracked by a busy life and having children. This fall was going to be my 6 year old daughters first year tagging along with her "Farm Grandpa" to "chase" pheasants. I was also looking forward to getting back into it. I took Bailey on a long walk tonight which she really enjoyed, she is a lost dog right now and I believe has realized that her master is gone. I thank you all for the memories about Jim and hope that you add some more. When things settle down I will join this forum as I don't know Jim's password for his account and I assume when I turn this computer off his account will be logged off. I hope those of you who knew Jim will continue his warmth and generosity to strangers and younger hunters that he was so well known for. That is what he would want his legacy to be and how he would want his friends to honor his memory. I know I am a better man for having him in my life. I look forward to seeing some of you this Fall on opening day! Sincerely, JR

JR,

I would be more than happy to post any pictures you send along. I am glad to hear that the service went well yesterday and we feel bad that we weren't able to get back out there to attend. I feel for Bailey as well. It was amazing to see the bond Jim and Bailey had, from hunting the property, watching birds at the feeder out the patio door and taking their ride together to get the mail. Any hunting dog owner knows they are more than just dogs they are family.

Below is the display from Jim's service. R.I.P my friend, you will be missed.View attachment 9280
 
Jim gave me the opportunity to kill my first wild pheasant (killed all released pheasant in Ohio) and get a start on how to hunt pheasant out west. I will be forever grateful to him and his family for opening his land to me. My thoughts and prayers are with the family. not many like him around...he would have given his shirt off his back. RIP..
 
Damn, this forum lost a very involved and impassioned member, and this world lost a good man. Cheers Jim, I hear the birds are plentiful up there.

RIP
 
Sorry to hear about the passing of SDJim, unfortunately I didn't have the pleasure of meeting Jim in person but became loose friends in this forum. During some conversations regarding an upcoming hunting trip Jim private messaged me, offering his property to hunt with my son. Needless to say we were extremely excited about taking Jim up on his generosity, unfortunately that year a severe snow snow rolled thru the Dakotas and Michigan and we were not able to make our trip. The pheasant community lost a great ambassador with his passing. RIP Jim.
 
Hi All, My name is JR and Jim was my step Dad. The memorial service was today and went as well as expected. Some of his local hunting friends gathered after the service and released pheasants into the habitat that he loved so much. Perhaps I can get a couple photos to BeirlSetters and he could post them here. I came into Jim's office tonight to just sit, this is where Mom found him after the heart attack. His computer was still on and I found myself here, it apparently was his favorite online "hangout". I know Jim enjoyed all the friendships he developed through hunting and some of you are on this forum. I hunted a lot with Jim when I was younger but got sidetracked by a busy life and having children. This fall was going to be my 6 year old daughters first year tagging along with her "Farm Grandpa" to "chase" pheasants. I was also looking forward to getting back into it. I took Bailey on a long walk tonight which she really enjoyed, she is a lost dog right now and I believe has realized that her master is gone. I thank you all for the memories about Jim and hope that you add some more. When things settle down I will join this forum as I don't know Jim's password for his account and I assume when I turn this computer off his account will be logged off. I hope those of you who knew Jim will continue his warmth and generosity to strangers and younger hunters that he was so well known for. That is what he would want his legacy to be and how he would want his friends to honor his memory. I know I am a better man for having him in my life. I look forward to seeing some of you this Fall on opening day! Sincerely, JR
Whew! I have not been on this forum for several years, and I haven't been able to put into mere words the sense of loss I have felt after Clora Karen called me to share the dreadful news of Jim's passing. It was like a punch in the gut, and I have needed to think about it, and him, for a few months. I first met Jim on this forum when I started searching for a place to hunt pheasants around the year 2011 or 12. Jim contacted me form some of my posts and invited me to come up in the summer of 2012 and I made plans to come that fall. I was so excited because I always felt like S.D. was THE place to go find pheasant! I had a new setter pup that had cut her teeth on a few birds, as a 6mo. old, with me on a dear friend's farm in N.E. I was so happy to get that invite, and a team of wild horses would not have prevented me from being there, but a cancer diagnosis handed to me on the day before I was heading out did! I literally had my camper and truck loaded to leave the next morning, Saturday. Myy colonoscopy and biopsy results had been rushed by my Dr. because I had told him of my planned trip and he got the report on Thursday and his office called me that day and told me to be in his office on Friday. (this type of call is never good!). I didn't get to go, but Jim gave me a standing invite for the next year!!!
The next year, 2o13, My wife and I were there, and met two people that instantly became fast friends, Jim and Clora Karen! I only hunted as I recalled two days because I didn't want to wear out my welcome there. Honestly I think it might have hurt their feelings that We didn't stay longer. I got over that the next year and went regularly every fall since, except last year when "Family problems" dictated that we forgo that part of our trip out west. I will regret that until my dying day, but we were needed at home! I guess I took it for granted that this year would be better and now Jim has passed, and as someone else pointed out here, " Never take anything or any body for granted!". This is the time of year my thoughts, like all of you, start making plans for hunting, and I have been thinking about Jim and Clora since I got that call. We want to go up and see Clora and reminisce about Jim. I'd like to walk that ground again with Jim beside me, but I think him being in my heart will have to suffice. My sense of grief is only overcome by my thankfulness that he was my friend, and that we both thought a lot of each other. Karin, my wife, and I always looked forward to going out to eat with them because we had such fine conversations with each other! It's as if we grew up together since childhood, and we tried to go over all our good memories and cram so much into each hour of our time together. J. R. I hope You understand our feeling like family, and I hope I get to see you too when we get out there this fall I know we got to hunt with you once before, and look forward to doing it again if possible.
I am sorry we are so far away and would have liked to be at Jim's memorial service, but those same problems really prevented our coming. Jim was just one of the best people I have ever met and I am not ashamed to say I loved him as one of my dearest friends. He IS missed and he is thought of every day.
Rest in Peace Jim, and thank you for being my friend, Bill
 
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