Christopher L. James

Christopher L. James, also known as Chris, Dad, Papa, and son, was born on December 16, 1958 in Muscatine, Iowa to Delores and Howard James and died peacefully on July 3, 2019 after a heroic battle with cancer.

Chris wed the love of his life, Cindy, in 1981, and together they embarked on a lifetime of adventures including raising three children, spoiling two beloved grandchildren, achieving great professional success, and traveling the world by land and sea.

Chris was a gentle giant, a gifted and ambitious finance executive on the one hand and an irreverent goofball on the other. He obtained his BA from Northwestern University in 1986 and his MBA from Lake Forest School of Management in 1991, both while working full-time and with three small kids at home. Chris’s business associates will remember him as a rare breed, a generous maverick who made things happen and turned colleagues into friends.

Chris had a huge and contagious smile, a highly inappropriate sense of humor, and a love for showy Hawaiian shirts and boat shoes. He loved sailing, scuba diving, golf, Scotch, hunting, fishing, and randomly breaking into song. A die-hard Chicago sports fan, Chris was overjoyed to see the Cubs win the world series and never gave up on the Bears.

Chris is survived by his wife, Cindy, of Keller, Texas; a daughter, Claire James, of Richardson, Texas; and two sons, Dan (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and Richard (Fort Worth, Texas). He is also survived by his beloved grandbabies, Caleb (age 10) and Natalie (age 2); his loving parents, Howard and Delores James of Lake Bluff, Illinois; and his siblings, Pamela James-Schlomer (Neal Schlomer), Jon James, and Kim James.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the V Foundation for Cancer Research www.v.org .