James L Adams, age 85
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of James L Adams, beloved husband of Patricia M Adams (née Jindra), and loving father of Kathleen M Rockas (Daniel), Mary C Baker (Bruce Keller), and Margaret L Kohlmyer (Ernest). James was preceded in death by his mother Catherine Adams (née Isabell) and brother Robert J Adams. He is survived by five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, his sister Donna C Altzner of Palm City, Florida, and several nieces and nephews.
James was born June 7th, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio, and passed peacefully at his home on June 21st, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was a graduate of Bay Village High School and Cleveland Trade School, where he studied auto mechanics. There wasn’t anything that he could not fix.
He had several jobs in his lifetime. He was a cross-country truck driver working for Mayflower with his own semi named the Irish Rover. He was in every state in the continental U.S. except for two: North Dakota and Maine. He loved to travel, so this was the perfect job for him. Some of his favorite stops along the way were Key West, Florida, and Houston, Texas. In 1990, he went to work locally for Arway, driving for them until he retired in 2014.
Jim was a member of the Elks Club, VFW, American Legion, and the Westside Irish American Club.
He loved to work in his yard, planting flowers and growing tomatoes and other vegetables. Summer was his favorite season—he loved the heat. He used to say, “I can’t wait for 90 degrees so it can start to warm up.”
He had a gift for meeting people and making lifelong friendships with them. If you knew Jim, he considered you a friend for life. He loved to entertain friends and family in his home and especially in the summer on his patio. He told great stories, and we had a lot of laughs together. His famous line was “Just one more”—he never wanted the parties to end. Jim will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
A Mass will be held on August 16th, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Saint Christopher’s, 20141 Detroit Rd, Rocky River, Ohio 44116, in celebration of his life.
My Poppa, I will miss you everyday. You fought so hard to stay here with us and I will cherish every moment even the hard ones. I love you and will look forward to your hello, your gentle nudges, and your spirit letting me know you are still with us. And one day when my time has come, help me find my way home. 1 Thess 4:12-18
Rest in Peace my dearest friend . The countless memories will not be forgotten. The laughs and tears we have shared will be one one my greatest treasures.
It was an honor to be a brother in the Elks with you.
To our absent member
James, our memories will live in my mind forever. Rest in peace my friend. I will miss laughing with you ! I dont think I ever laughed so much until I met you 13 years ago with Daniel! You were strong but you were also full of kindness. You were my cat jack’s favorite person! He only came down to say hi to you. You were so kind to all animals and had an amazing heart. I love you James! You were a good friend! Rest in eternal peace.
Jimmy and I met years ago. As soon as I met him we became friends. He always gave me the best compliments and made me feel so good! He was easy to call friend. I think the world of him. I will miss seeing his smiling face because he always smiled!
Jim is a legend and will never be forgotten. He was always the life of a party and a friend you could rely on. We were friends for more than 60 years and I know that he is busy catching up with so many of our friends that were waiting for Jim to arrive and get the party rolling, like he always did. I love you and miss you, Jim. ❤️
I met Jim in 1955 at Bay village high school. We hung out together and were both in two automobile accidents that nobody should have walked away from, but God had his hand on us because he had other things for us to do and people whose lives only we could touch. Even though we have lived 2000 miles apart we still stayed in touch. I’ll miss him.
You were always my cute, good natured younger brother. You always had a twinkle in your eyes and a smile on your face. Looking back over the years I feel that you were a better brother to me then I was a sister to you. You will always be in my thoughts and my heart, until the day we meet again. Rest in peace my precious little brother. I love you. Your older sister, Donna