ForeverMissed
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This memorial website was created in the memory of Jim Morgan, who was born on October 4, 1952 and passed away on December 18, 2010.

He is survived by his family--wife Sandy, children Jeremy and Amy, dog Katie, sister Lisa and her husband Mike,  mother-in-law Frances, brother-in-law Johnny and his wife Lynnelle and their children Sally, John and Mary Nelle, Aunt Muriel and Uncle Skip, Aunt Eleanor, cousins Don, Jackie, whom he loved very much.
 

Jim enjoyed working with metal and continued that interest with his work for Schmitt Industries, becoming close friends with many of his colleagues and customers.

Always active, Jim also enjoyed: swimming (100 yard state freestyle champion in 1968), fishing (building his own gear), white water rafting, shooting and hand loading, racquetball, watching open wheeled car races and participating on race forums, riding motorcycles from his early teens into his fifties,  collecting guitars and amplifiers,  traveling in his BMW convertibles (including a dark blue M3),  participating in pulmonary rehabilitation programs and support groups, trying new restaurants, hearing live music, time spent with friends 
 
If you wish to make a donation in his name, they may be made to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,
 
 

Or to the Humane Society of the United States secure.humanesociety.org/site/Donation2

 

October 13, 2015
October 13, 2015
I remember an episode maybe 20-25 years ago when Jim and I were discussing the balancer business and how every Landis production grinder should run with an SBS Balancer. As we were about to hang up, Jim told me that a friend of his was in the jewelry business and that he had some tennis bracelets for sale. I sent him the check and received the bracelet. When I opened the box it wasn't exactly what I had expected (I guess I expected more of a zirconium look) and Jim could tell in my voice. He told me to send it back which I did. Is was the way Jim handled me that I remember. He didn't make me feel like I had let him down by having to return it. That was Jim. Always so cool.
Ron Resetarits
December 29, 2014
December 29, 2014
I think about Jim around this time every year.
Every so often, I surprise myself and say something wise, kind, and witty, I wonder if it came from his influence.
Powerful stuff, considering I only knew him from his words online (offcamber). RIP.
December 18, 2014
December 18, 2014
Jim's memory is still alive at Schmitt Industries. The void from his passing is still felt within our SBS business. We are pleased that Jim's legacy is represented by his son Jeremy, who plays an important role at Schmitt and the SBS business.
December 18, 2013
December 18, 2013
As we mark the third anniversary of Jim's passing, his professional legacy lives on within Schmitt Industries and the SBS product line for North America that he managed for many years. Jim, we honor your memory and you would be very proud of Jeremy.
December 18, 2012
December 18, 2012
Another year has passed and the hole Jim filled in the family infrastructure is still open and his presence is greatly missed - He is greatly missed.
December 18, 2012
December 18, 2012
We at Schmitt continue to be the beneficiaries of Jim's many years of hard work and leadership for our SBS product line and we seek to honor his memory by the way in which we conduct ourselves in our business. We miss you Jim.
December 18, 2012
December 18, 2012
Jim was a friend I met in support group for people with pulmonary fibrosis. His intelligence and penchant for storytelling got us off to a good start In what was to become a very special friendship. He was a good listener as well and he shared a perspective of someone who had been down the road with his health challenges and was able to offer me advice that I still use today. I miss him.
October 4, 2012
October 4, 2012
You are fondly remembered and sorely missed at offcamber.net. Thinking of you on your birthday, and picturing you with a big sombrero and a beer.
October 4, 2012
October 4, 2012
This would have been a big birthday for you. I wish we could celebrate your 60th with you. I will be thinking of you and missing you especially on this day. Love always.
January 15, 2011
January 15, 2011
Jim was my best friend for over 30 years. His character was impeccable. Notably his IQ was off the charts. I never met anyone in my entire life that could analyze situations better than Jim. He had one of the most interesting minds of anyone I ever met. The world will not be the same without him.
January 11, 2011
January 11, 2011
Jim got to know my family and at the end of the work day would always include Joan in our dinner plans. Jim was a very generous person and l will miss him.
January 11, 2011
January 11, 2011
I knew Jim for over 20 years and during that time we shared alot. I first met Jim in Chicago at the tool show and somehow we just hit it off. Jim was that kind of guy, easy to be with. Our jobs complimented each other, Jim with SBS and me with the Landis Tool Company. We made sales calls together in the engine plants and our philosophy was that every production grinder should have a SBS.
January 5, 2011
January 5, 2011
We have known Jim as our business partner at Schmitt Industries for almost 20 years. We have surely enjoyed working with him. With his experience and wisdom, he always had the answer for us. We will miss him as a tough business professional and as a great human being.
David Takahashi, CEO Tecnara Tooling Systems, Inc.
January 5, 2011
January 5, 2011
Jim was my friend and colleague for the last ten years or so. We shared an interest in all the /really/ important things in life: barbecue, blues, wine, and fast cars. He lived with great zest and enthusiasm and was frankly a lot of fun to be with, whether we were visiting digitally or in person. I will really miss him as a friend and partner in mischief. Jim2
January 4, 2011
January 4, 2011
I have known Jim only through the Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group and was always impressed with the positive attitude he displayed, while facing a devastating disease. He tested fate more than once, always with enthusiasm. I regret that we never discovered how many common interests we have. His beard always looked better than mine. We will miss him.
January 4, 2011
January 4, 2011
Though I knew Jim for only two years, he was an amazing man. His expertise in the grinding industry was legendary and he play a key role in the success of the SBS product line. He was also a man of enormous strength of character, continuing to work at Schmitt in the midst of his declining health when others would have quit long before. His loss is keenly felt by all of us at Schmitt.
January 3, 2011
January 3, 2011
I will miss Jim as a key Employee and as a friend for 25 years.  I especially liked his clarity in breaking down a problem or situation in direct, and really funny terms so everybody could get on board with the problem and the solution.  He was a solution person who fixed problems! We will all miss him.
Wayne Case, CEO Schmitt Industries, Inc.
January 3, 2011
January 3, 2011
Jim first came us in early 1986 when Schmitt had started a product line called the "automatic wheel balancer".  He was the only one that had actually worked on various types of Grinder machines and added key concepts to the design that are still used by Customers 25 years later.  He saw what Customers needed and taught those lessons to all of us.
Wayne Case, CEO Schmitt Industries,
January 2, 2011
January 2, 2011
Jim was a great step-dad to me. He provided the stability that I needed in my life and never ceased to support me in my endeavors. I feel strongly that without his influence and strength in my life I wouldn't be the person I am today. He encouraged me to be myself, develop a strong sense of independence and achieve my goals in life. I miss his sense of humor and unique perspective.

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Recent Tributes
October 13, 2015
October 13, 2015
I remember an episode maybe 20-25 years ago when Jim and I were discussing the balancer business and how every Landis production grinder should run with an SBS Balancer. As we were about to hang up, Jim told me that a friend of his was in the jewelry business and that he had some tennis bracelets for sale. I sent him the check and received the bracelet. When I opened the box it wasn't exactly what I had expected (I guess I expected more of a zirconium look) and Jim could tell in my voice. He told me to send it back which I did. Is was the way Jim handled me that I remember. He didn't make me feel like I had let him down by having to return it. That was Jim. Always so cool.
Ron Resetarits
December 29, 2014
December 29, 2014
I think about Jim around this time every year.
Every so often, I surprise myself and say something wise, kind, and witty, I wonder if it came from his influence.
Powerful stuff, considering I only knew him from his words online (offcamber). RIP.
December 18, 2014
December 18, 2014
Jim's memory is still alive at Schmitt Industries. The void from his passing is still felt within our SBS business. We are pleased that Jim's legacy is represented by his son Jeremy, who plays an important role at Schmitt and the SBS business.
Recent stories
December 21, 2014

I remember during the nineties when Jim and I would have these long phone conversations about business and what Landis was doing.  One episode Jim told me about  someone he knew someone that was selling diamond tennis bracelets ----- Although I new what a tennis bracelet was, a new nothing about diamonds.  When I received the package and opened it, I expected it to be a flashy little bracelet (Zircon) but instead it wasn't flashy.  Jim called me a few days later and asked me how I liked it.  I hemmed and hawed for a second and Jim said to me "package it up and mail it back no problem".  Jim was so cool about it.  He didn't make me feel uncomfortable.  That was Jim ----- He changed the subject and we started talking about one of the GM accounts.  

September 2004

January 17, 2011

Memories of a beautiful fall day: in September 2004, I went to Portland for a girlfriends’ getaway weekend. I arrived in town a couple of days early, though, so my friend Jim from the Off Camber racing forum invited me and my friend Linda to join him on a tour of the Yamhill Valley wine country. As we drove the scenic roads, Jim entertained us with stories, including anecdotes about living in a cabin where he had to chop wood to heat it, and his time spent working as a blacksmith. We talked about cars, restaurants, and life in general. Eventually we stopped at Domaine Drouhin Winery, where we sat on the deck sipping Pinot Noir and enjoying the beautiful scenery. At that point, I handed my camera over to Linda and asked her to take a photo of Jim and me. We finished the afternoon at Jim’s home, where we had a fine time visiting with Sandy.

 

After returning home, I developed my photos. The one of Jim on the deck turned out well, so I mailed him a print. I am touched and honored to see that Jeremy included this photo on Jim’s memorial website.
January 9, 2011

Jim is deeply missed by his friends on offcamber.net, a racing forum that I maintain with my wife, Melissa.

Jim was widely loved and admired for his wit and wisdom among
fans of the Champcar racing series under the online names of
taildragger and oddlycalm.  Jim loved road racing and he loved talking with his friends about it.  We knew him as someone who could offer keen insight, sharp wit, or both on racing or nearly any topic.

Jim never wanted his illness to distract from all the things in life that he so enjoyed pursuing.    When he knew that his time with us was drawing to a close Jim let us know privately.  He didn't wish to announce it publicly and create what he felt might be a distraction.  But knowing how important Jim was to our community we knew that our members would want an opportunity to pay him tribute before he left us.    We encouraged him and Jim did us the honor of a final farewell.   You can read that farewell, and the well wishes of his friends at Off Camber here:  Farewell

Jim's absense has left a void in our community.  But we will always charish  memories of him and how he made us think, laugh, and cry together.

 

 

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