James "Jim" Francis Cahill Ii

Jim Cahill, 55, departed this life on December 26, 2022. He was preceded in death by his father James Cahill and is survived by his mother Miriam and sister Sarah Cahill Shaughnessy. He had no children of his own, but the children of all his friends and family grew up with him as part of their lives. Jim was passionate for living life and never turned down an opportunity to explore his many interests and passions with his friends and family.

Jim shared an early interest in technology with his father that led him to a long career at some of the key companies in the industry. He was there during the rise of the internet’s early popularity while working with companies focused on broadcasting, business, data centers and compute. At each company, his circle of friends would constantly expand as those he worked with got to know him. On more than one occasion, Jim would work with the same people at different jobs and companies, a testament to what a wonderfully skilled coworker he was.

Outside of work, Jim loved all things related to technology. He built and repaired computers for the people in his life and would spend countless hours finding solutions to any problem. He was an active user in the early bulletin board systems and other online communities. He loved online gaming, and it was a constant part of Jim’s life. He enjoyed spending his evenings with a headset on and gaming with friends online. Through online gaming he met many friends from places as far away as Scotland while playing games like Quake, Destiny, Forza, and Call of Duty. Many times, over the years, these friends would visit the Dallas area to have drinks with Jim.

Pinball and classic arcade machines were another beloved interest of Jim’s. He would frequent local arcades with his friends and spend hours exploring the games from his childhood as well as the new machines. His absolute passion was pinball, which he loved playing at the local arcades. He would play till his feet ached. One of the things he looked forward to the most every year was his annual weekend at the Texas Pinball Festival. He and his friends would spend three days playing pinball, listening to speakers, and going to all the events. He had most recently completed a project to build a custom pinball machine at his home that he could play with his friends.

Jim was a devoted sports fan and enjoyed going to Stars, Rangers, and Cowboys games. He treasured attending games with his friends and had the opportunity to see many playoff and championship games of the local teams. He and his friends had a long tradition of attending the opening day festivities at the Texas Rangers and made the entire day a celebration of the event. As a season ticket holder for the Dallas Cowboys, he had a group of friends that tailgate prior to the Dallas home games. His tailgate family were all there for the final game at the old stadium and have been a constant presence in Lot 12 of the new stadium. Part of his Cowboy’s tradition was to come together every Thanksgiving game with his friends and their families to celebrate as a large extended family at the tailgate. The group would set up tents, crockpots, tables, and food to celebrate Thanksgiving with the expectation being that Jim would always be counted on to bring his pans of brownies.

Music was a constant part of Jim’s life. He was a dedicated follower of his favorite bands like Rush, Iron Maiden, Tool, and others. He enjoyed attending live concerts with his friends no matter the size of the venue, the location, or weather circumstances. As a lifelong Rush fan, he was able to attend the Rush farewell tour in Dallas. Jim had the opportunity to see some of his favorite bands many times over the decades and saved the ticket stub to almost every show. Not limiting himself to live music, he attended live theater, museums, operas, and musicals. Jim would happily attend any event to take part in something with his friends.

Through all his journeys Jim appreciated his beers. He was always excited to try a new beer and check it into his app on his phone or share a picture with his friends. He travelled around the metroplex with friends to visit local breweries and would visit breweries with his friends when travelling. He was passionate about great beer well before the current popularity and variety of brewery selections, but he always loved to share beers with his friends.

Whether you knew him for 30 years or just one, Jim was absolutely and unequivocally the most amazing friend. He was in our individual lives for many reasons. We knew him from work, from sporting events, from watching movies, from concerts, and the list goes on. All of us wanted to spend time with him, and he wanted to spend time with us. We were all happy and better because of that.
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

A celebration of life will be held from 3:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., Saturday, January 7, 2023 at LoneStar Garden located at 3132 Milam Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76112.

In Lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the American Heart Association in Jim’s name or gather with friends and family to raise your glasses in his honor.