James & Marie Jennings

James Joseph Jennings, 87, passed away on July 6, 2016 in Boca Raton, FL, just three days shy of his 88th birthday. He is survived by his oldest sibling, John, his children Jim (Kelly), Julie (Bill) and Patrick (Maria), his grandchildren Courtney (Jon), Jonathan, Joseph and Caitlin, and his adorable great-grandson Jon Logan. Marie, his beloved wife of 61 years, passed away just 9 ½ months ago.

Born in Burnside, NY to Irish immigrants, his mother from County Cork, Ireland and his dad from Dublin, Jim grew up in the Bronx with his three siblings, John, Bridy and Kathleen. As a child, Jim displayed an interest for the violin, which at the age of 7 led him to play his favorite instrument at a performance at Carnegie Hall. As a teen, he worked various jobs, among them as an usher at the well-known Valentine Movie Theater in the Bronx. However, it was his love of working as a mechanic that led to his illustrious career, first as the Chief Line Mechanic for the B-29 Bomber Fleet for the United States Air Force stationed primarily in Fairbanks, Alaska, and later as a pioneer in the towing industry in South Florida. Another highlight of his youth and one he told with a mischievous gleam in his eye was when he flew in a single-engine plane under the George Washington Bridge in New York City with his brother, John, a pilot. Supposedly the youthful indiscretion did not get them in trouble!

Jim met the love of his life, Marie, one summer while visiting Harriman, a small town north of New York City. Jim entered the local corner store and soda shop and there she was working the soda shop counter. Jim made many visits to the soda shop that summer and later often drove up from the Bronx to see her. Jim and Marie wed in 1954 and settled in Harrison, NY, another small town north of the city. They welcomed their first two children, Jim and Julie, in New York while Jim perfected his craft as an auto mechanic and Marie worked as an operator at the local telephone company.

In the early ‘60s, the couple moved to South Florida, first to Delray Beach and then Boca Raton, where they welcomed their third child, Patrick. Jim worked as a mechanic at Boca Raton Motors and shortly after purchased a gas station located where I-95 and Glades Road meet. While operating Jim’s Shell Service Center, he purchased his first tow truck and thus began his foray into the towing business. He started out small with Jim’s Towing and that first truck, later forced to close the service station when the I-95 expansion came to Boca. Then he built Jennings Towing and Recovery from the ground up with the assistance of his eldest son, Jim, to the successful company that exists today, Emerald Towing and Transportation Corporation, now in business for 50 years.

A leader in the towing industry, Jim was always a regular at industry legislative and leadership conferences, assisted in the formation and adoption of towing standards in South Florida and was consulted on a regular basis by the Palm Beach County Towing Advisory Group for guidance in advancing towing standards across the industry. He was an expert in heavy duty towing, towing route logistics and air cushion recovery. Due to his expertise in air cushion recovery, he was asked to serve as a consultant for the Air Cushion Recovery Aircraft Division in 1994. He spent February of that year in Bogota, Colombia training members of the Colombian Air Force on how to effectively recover both military and civilian aircraft.

Whenever there was an emergency, especially the big ones, Jim (often referred to as “Senior” or “Boss” by his employees) was always there to handle it personally, even late into the night, with his bright mind and ingenious solutions. Among the most unique recoveries he engineered were hauling a pickup truck out of the ocean at the end of Spanish River in Boca, recovering a single-engine Cessna that crashed at the 9th hole at the Boca Raton Resort golf course, removing a helicopter that crashed at Ft. Lauderdale beach, recovery and clean up for numerous rolled over propane trucks and gas tankers and removing a bulldozer from an 85-foot pit that opened up at the Virginia Key sanitation landfill in Miami. While on that Virginia Key recovery job, it is said that Marie would hose him down in the front yard, along with his youngest son, Patrick, every evening before allowing them to enter the house.

A determined proprietor with a reputation for safety, honesty, professionalism, and dependability, Jim was tenacious in business, but had a soft side too. He was often referred to as a character, quick with a wisecrack, and always had a soft spot for those in need. Personally and through his company, countless charities, employees and friends benefitted from the generosity and compassion that he displayed for others. Emerald Towing and Transportation founded Towers with a Heart, a non-profit organization that helps protect emergency workers who are helping others on the busy roads of South Florida. Emerald is also a leading promoter of Florida’s Move Over Law, created to protect emergency road responders.

Besides his business and his employees and business associates, with whom he developed many close friendships, Jim’s other passions and interests included taking his wife and kids on long road trips to see America’s sites, John Wayne and cowboy movies, Hogan’s Heroes, war documentaries, the History Channel, the Miami Dolphins, his beloved Rottweilers over the years, including his latest and favorite, Jake, his church, St. Joan of Arc, and his Lord Jesus Christ. Last but not least was his love for his family and making sure his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandson were happy and thriving. No obstacle was too big when it came to his family, his employees, his friends and his business.

He lived a simple but full life, full of compassion, drive and noteworthy accomplishments. Although he has left us now, his legacy in the towing industry will live on and the values he taught his employees and family will not be forgotten.

In lieu of flowers please send contributions to the Wounded Warriors Project.www.woundedwarriorproject.org.