James C. DeBelina, 67 of Palatine was born February 16, 1952 in Chicago to George and Irene (nee DeCwikiel) DeBelina and passed away July 12, 2019 after 7 ½ years of living with pancreatic cancer.Jim was the beloved husband of Mary Lee (nee Schultz) DeBelina; loving father of Mary Chris (Brian) Doyle, Bob DeBelina and Ann Elise DeBelina; cherished papa of Lyra Anne, Gwen Aya, Laurence James and Percy and dear brother of Richard DeBelina, Edward (Mary) DeBelina, Christine (Kevin) Manley, Steve (Mary Jill) DeBelina and the late Thaddeus (Laura) DeBelina and fond uncle of many nieces and nephews.
Jim faced his disease with courage and dignity, answering phone calls from all over the world as a volunteer for the Pancreatic Action Network.
Jim was also active in the Palatine community, having coached close to 30 youth teams for Palatine Celtic Soccer, Palatine Baseball and both boys and girls basketball for St. Thomas of Villanova.
Visitation will be Friday, July 19, 2019 from 3-8 PM at Lauterburg & Oehler Funeral Home, 2000 E. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights. Prayers will be said on Saturday, July 20 at 8:45 AM at the funeral home and proceed to St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 1201 E. Anderson Drive, Palatine for a Funeral Mass at 9:30 AM. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the James DeBelina Scholarship Fund, c/o Illinois Institute of Technology, Office of Advancement, 10 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60606 appreciated. (Please make checks payable to Illinois Institute of Technology and note the scholarship name in the memo section). The scholarship will be used to provide financial assistance to one or more undergraduate students who are majoring in math or science and who demonstrate high financial need (defined as students with Pell Grant eligibility).
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