Mr. James “Jim” R. Tamburrino, 71, of Marietta, GA passed away September 1, 2013. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Margaret Tamburrino. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Linda Marlow Tamburrino and sons, Michael S. Tamburrino of Lilburn, GA, Paul R. Tamburrino and his wife, Cristina, of Miami, FL, and Bobby Tamburrino of Kennesaw, GA, two grandsons, Matthew Tamburrino and Conner Tamburrino, two sisters and several nieces and nephews.
Jim was born in Chicago, IL on November 26, 1941. At an early age, his family moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. After his graduation from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, he went to the University of Florida where he studied computer design and earned his Electrical Engineering bachelor’s degree. After college, Jim took a job with Southern Bell and worked his way to several managerial positions throughout his career. He spent four years at AT&T in New York and came back to Atlanta in 1977 to work at Southern Bell, later called BellSouth, and was the Senior Manager of Systems Support in the Purchasing Department before taking an early retirement package in 1989. After his retirement, he began working as a computer programmer and also conducted training sessions, presented seminars and co-authored books on programming. He was a lead programmer for Exxon during the Valdez oil spill cleanup in 1989 and lived in Alaska for many months during that time. He continued working from home doing programming for a client as late as a month before his illness.
He was very easy going and loved to take cruises with his wife and family. He always tried to schedule the cruise around his wedding anniversary so that he and Linda could celebrate on the ship. The last cruise he took was for their 40th anniversary and his sons Mike and Bobby joined them. He said it was one of the best cruises he had taken in a long time and was thrilled to have his sons with him and Linda to celebrate their anniversary.
He was a Eagle Scout and introduced his sons to the scouting program where he was Cubmaster for their packs and worked with the Boy Scout troop. He also became a District Director for the Scouts and helped with the program in the area. He earned many awards for his work in Scouting, including his Wood Badge.
After moving back to Atlanta and settling in Chimney Springs subdivision, Jim became involved in the homeowners association and served on the Board of Directors, once as Chairman of the Board. He also wrote a database program so the secretary could input the residents’ information. He then wrote a program to convert the database for a phone book, which he and his wife created for Chimney Springs for many years, and set his wife up with the computer hardware and software needed to create the monthly newsletter for many years.
Any goal he set for himself, he took the measures to achieve them and always had the latest gadgets. As a child he would take electronics apart to see how they were made and then re-build them. He loved to build electronic kits and built a color TV, pinball machines, and several other items. He would rather make it himself than buy it. When he and Linda got into camping, he bought an over-the-road bus and converted it into a camper in his backyard in New Jersey. He took a mechanics class to learn how to work on the bus and did all of the electrical, plumbing, woodwork, laminating, etc. to make the bus a comfortable “home away from Home.”
Although his favorite phrase at Christmastime was “Bah Humbug,” Jim enjoyed decorating the outside of the house. He would always try to come up with something a little different each year so that it wouldn’t look like the previous year. He created bases to put a lighted plastic Santa and two lighted reindeer on the roof and have them be upright, he built a large wreath from chicken wire, garland and lights, and he designed and built a 30 foot Christmas tree that had old CDs as the ornaments, as well as many other creative decorations. Of course, they all worked with a timer so that he never had to worry about turning them on and off. He enjoyed watching the cars slow down in front of the house to look at his decorations and the neighbors’ houses, and he was especially pleased when a note was left in the mailbox letting him know how much his lights were enjoyed.
Above all else, Jim made sure his wife was taken care of and was an extremely devoted husband.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 2:00 pm in the chapel of H.M. Patterson & Son Canton Hill. The family will receive friends on Friday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Jim to the American Diabetes Association. Arrangements under the direction of H.M. Patterson & Son Canton Hill. Online condolences may be expressed at www.hmpattersoncantonhill.com.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
v.1.9.5