He was born to parents, John and Katina Longos, on December 23, 1926, in St. Louis, Missouri, and had a brother, George. At the age of three, Jim moved to Edessa, Greece with his family and returned to Granite City, Illinois at the end of World War II. Upon his return, he attended and graduated from Granite City High School, served in the U.S. Army for two years, and worked at Granite City Steel for forty years.
On June 3, 1959, Jim married his wife, Donna, and they were married for nearly sixty years until Donna passed away in May of 2019. Jim and Donna had four children: John, Kathy (and Fred McKinney), Tom (and Cathy), and Maria (and Dave Jobe). They were dedicated to raising their children and later in life their grandchildren: Kyle (and Jill), Kaitlin (and Andrew), Thomas, James, Saki, Sarah, Sophie, Jonathan, Austin and Maddie.
Jim was a loving father, husband, grandfather (Papou), uncle and friend. He worked long hours at the steel mill and wanted a better life for his children. He encouraged them to make good grades and attend college. When he retired, Jim helped take care of his grandchildren and loved to play games with them. In addition, Jim enjoyed watching sports (especially soccer), going to church, completing daily crossword puzzles, challenging someone with trivia, telling a good joke, laughing along with television comedies, walking outdoors, climbing trees, and spending time with his family.
A Private Funeral for family members will be held on Saturday, January 23rd at 11:00 am, at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church with Lake View Funeral Home assisting the family with arrangements. Interment will follow at Lake View Memorial Gardens, Fairview Heights, IL.
Memorial gifts may be made to Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Swansea, Illinois where James and Donna were lifetime members.
Condolences may be sent to the family by clicking 'add a memory' below.
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