James Michael Organ

JAMES MICHAEL ORGAN

Iowa City

"Hi my name is Jim, Jim Organ glad to meet you." And he was, he was very glad to meet you, but if you could play a good hand of euchre he was maybe a little more glad to meet you. Soon enough you would find yourself sitting on a chair next to him, sharing PBR's and sharing a story. Sure, maybe the stories would shift and change with each telling, but as any good Irish story teller knows, "don't let the details get in the way of a good story."

And now we get to be the lucky ones who have those stories to cherish, the smiles they brought to our faces and the laughter from our bellies.

Connie's husband, James Michael Organ, 87, passed away peacefully in his sleep, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, following a brief illness.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, with Father Joseph Sia officiating. Burial with Military Honors will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

Jim was born July 6, 1934, in Iowa City, the son of Edward and Edith (Reilly) Organ. He was a 1952 graduate of St. Patrick's High School. Jim served in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1957. On June 26, 1965, Jim married Connie Spring at St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

Jim was employed with Northwestern Bell for many years.

Jim was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church and Johnson County Irish. He enjoyed Hawkeyes sports and time spent bowling and golfing.

Jim is survived by his wife, Connie, and their three daughters, Denise (Gordon) Winder of Madison, Wis., Darcie (Keith) Huwe of Wahpeton, N.D., and Deborah (Don) White of Spencer, Ind.; seven grandchildren, Sydney and Nicholas Winder, Jackson and Jefferson Huwe, and Abigail, Jacob and Alexander Schwanke; three siblings, Joan Smith of Davenport, Jerry (Cindy) Organ of Spring Branch, Texas, and Jean (Kelley) Donham of Iowa City. A special thank-you to Pat and Emily Mellecker who were so much more than good neighbors to Jim.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; his infant son, Timothy; and siblings, Tom Organ, Patricia Huff and Jane Organ.

We often thought Jim seemed to enjoy the drive when he was going somewhere as much as the being somewhere. These trips would involve road maps and atlases with a somewhat crooked finger pointing to a somewhat crooked gray line and the man attached to that finger telling you, "that's the road you want to take." And more often than not, he was right, because no GPS signal routes you across the peaking back roads of the Iowa countryside where you roll down the windows to catch the fleeting crescendos of the cicadas or view a sunset behind fields of hay. And when you capture one of those moments, give a wink because somewhere behind you is Jim Organ raising a glass:

"May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand."

Online condolences may be sent to www.lensingfuneral.com.