James 'Jim' T. Delaney

A MEMORIAL Celebration of Jims life.  As his Eulogy began -  “husband, father, son, paramedic, friend, and to many of us, brother. “ There will be a casual gathering of brothers (and sisters), friends and family on Saturday, February17th from 2:00 to 5:00PM at the West Sand Lake Fire Hall, 3695 NY Rt. 43 in West Sand Lake, where Jim began his commitment to Emergency Services.  Friends, EMS compatriots and anyone who Jim touched during his life are invited to trade stories and have some lite fare.  Bring pictures if you can so we can all remember and celebrate his impact on our lives.  Hope to see you there.

Philadelphia, PA - James T. ‘Jim’ Delaney passed away November 22, 2017 at the age of 47. He was the beloved husband of Edie (nee Haley); loving father of Liam, Patricia and Teeghan and son of Thomas J. and Patricia A. Delaney. Jim was a well-known paramedic  (# 113) with various organizations throughout the region.

EULOGY for James T Delaney as prepared and read by 
          William Walters, MD. LtC, USA  Nov 27, 2017

James Thomas Delaney - husband, father, son, paramedic, friend, and to many of us, brother.  I’ve been asked to spend a couple minutes explaining who this man was, and the impact he’s had on many of our lives.  At first, this seemed pretty straight forward - Jimmy knew me before I was “me”, and so he is baked inextricably into my soul.  As I’ve struggled to find the words, I see that this is the toughest thing I’ve ever done.  Painting the picture of Jim like this is like trying to explain the color of the sky to a blind man - if you knew him, you couldn’t help but love him.  If you didn’t love him, well, then you probably didn’t know him at all and I can’t help you.

I met Jimmy in Albany when I was 19 years old.  We became paramedics together.  We lived together, we worked together, and we got into trouble together.  His parents were my surrogate family.  For those in the audience from the Emergency Services community, I know you can appreciate the bond between partners. I’m proud to have kept that bond with Jimmy and his family over the last 25 years.  We celebrated the wins, and never judged too harshly when we came up short.  Nobody bats 1000 in this league.

I was there when he met Edie, his love and the woman who came to know him best.  I was his best man, and he was mine.  Whenever I’ve faced an impossible climb, Jimmy was with me.  Through love and loss, over the miles and years, a phone call was enough to bring the machinery of our friendship alive and give me the gut check I needed to keep climbing. I hope that I pushed him a little as well.

Jimmy was driven by love - love for his family, for his friends, and for strangers when they needed him most. He had a smile that could captivate a room - no shortage in the gift of the Blarney in this son if Ireland.  I see that magic in Liam, Trish and Teeghan today.  He wanted you to know that he loved you, it was important to him, and he wanted to be loved in return (no matter how hard he tried to act to the contrary).  He gave respect, and demanded respect in return, because he fundamentally believed in the value of a person.  More than anything, he was a proud man that was completely satisfied to watch Edie, Liam, Trish, and Teeghan enjoy themselves when he thought no one was looking at him.  I’d catch him in one of those private moments, and he’d smile without having to say a word.  Jimmy said the most when he said nothing at all.

I think it’s natural to try to draw some cosmic logic from a tragic loss like this.  I won’t pretend to have those answers.  Instead, I tried to imagine what Jimmy would want us all to hear him say.
· Love one another the way I’ve loved you all.
· Take care of each other, the way I wish that I could.
· Be brave, be true, be right, and work for what you get.
· Tough times like this don’t define you. Tough times like this provide the opportunity for you to define yourself.
· Try hard every day to be that which you say you are, and be gentle with yourself if you come up short.  Sometimes it’s the effort that matters most.

Good bye for now, brother.  There is a piece of you in each of us, like a puzzle piece in each of our souls.  Life is always a little shorter than you think it will be, and we’ll be back together before you know it.   I get the room with the window.
 

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