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“Knowing Jim meant that you had a loyal friend for life who would always be there in good times and would be the first one to be there when times went bad.”
On Thursday, June 8, Jim Weydig died following a three-year battle with cancer.
Jim (also known to various people as James, Jimmy, Digger, and Digs was “a pillar of our community,” according to a GoFundMe set up by friends of the Weydig family.
He served many roles in the community – Jim was an architect, a marathon runner, a Boy Scout Scoutmaster, and a neighbor to many, but his friends said that no matter how someone knew Jim, “you can recall the numerous ways in which he touched you personally or for the community at large.”
"Jim was a bright light who illuminated his kindness, warmth, and sense of humor wherever he went."
"Knowing Jim meant that you had a loyal friend for life who would always be there in good times and would be the first one to be there when times went bad."
First and foremost, though, Jim was a loving father and husband to Ryan and Paula, his son and wife.
“The trio have been a unified force who together lived life with passion and in service to others,” the GoFundMe description reads.
“Jim enjoyed each day to the fullest…There is no doubt that Jim’s passing has created a void, yet we know that Paula and Ryan will go forward with the same sense of optimism and love that Jim would expect.”
In an effort to demonstrate how integral of a role Jim played in the community, his friends are asking for the community’s help in raising funds to support Ryan and Paula through the next few months, to allow the pair to “ grieve without the worry of covering medical costs, college, home costs and other expenses that come because of Jim’s death.”
In just two days, the fundraiser has gathered over $8,000 of its $50,000 goal, with no signs of stopping, which seems to be a great way to honor a man who friends say was always above and beyond (in both marathons and in life).
“Jim always went the extra mile,” his friends wrote, alluding also to what Jim’s Boy Scouts had dubbed “The Weydig Mile.”
“We now ask you to go the extra mile for Jim.”
To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
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