I just now found the obituary. 
James I will miss our hours of talking. It is not often to find someone that could match me intellectually. I will miss your acerbic wit and the low tolerance of stupidity. Save me a spot on the other side and we will continue our conversations. I’m sure you’ll have lots to tell me.
My heart goes out to the family. James spoke about many of you in the family and particularly his grandson.
May the  balm of  time heal your broken hearts.
Winifred Gitta
 AKA Payton Gabe

My condolences to James' family on your loss.

What can I say about James Massingale?  So much!

James was an amazing person, smart, funny, direct, and to the point. He was a great friend, loyal,  and a great conversationalist.  As a friend, he would always go the extra mile for you if you needed him to.  I would spend hours sometimes on the phone with him and I can say, I never had a conversation with him where he did not mention his wonderful wife and amazing children!

Theresa, Adrian, Dez, and Brent,

James loved you so much, and he was so happy with his family life!  I think that you brought out the best in him!
Literally, I never had a conversation with him where he did not express how much he loved you.

As for me, James was like a brother and friend.  There was nothing I could not talk to him about and he always had some good advice and jokes if that is what I needed.  

James thank you for being there for me, and for all that you have done for me. 

Always loved and always missed!

Lisa



How do you put into words what a man like James, a larger than life personality, a keeper of the gates for his family, an unconditional friend, an open minded listener, means to so many that he has left behind. We will miss your strong presence and always positive happy demeanor. I will miss our talks and your crazy other world life that you could never get me to understand. I promise you I’ll be there as best as I can for Theresa, Adrianna, Brent and that beautiful young grandson of yours. Rest peacefully my friend. The Lord has gained a wonderful new angel. Now maybe you can help those Packers!

Every room he walked into became warmer and brighter. I will forever remember his smile (like he always had a joke ready to burst out of his mouth at any moment) and his peaceful presence. You’ll be missed Uncle James

There’s that smile we all like. He was such a nice man. Sometimes that’s not said enough about men when they pass. He was always interesting to talk to. Could give u a laugh. He talked about writing a book but not sure if he got to it. He will b missed by many as he was loved by many. Thoughts and prayers to Theresa and family. 

Oooh James!! I will miss your sweet smirk and fun loving personality. You were ONE OF A KIND!! Thx for all the laughs and kindness you spread throughout this world. You will forever be missed. I love you!!

I will always remember my big cousin as super funny. I could always count on James to be a great debater of various topics, so yeah he was super intelligent too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him upset. Not to say he didn’t get upset because of course he was still in my family. Lol.  I’ll just say I always saw him smiling which is a wonderful thing…and that’s how I’d like to remember him. Smiling saying “Hey Peaches”. So until I see you again cousin, Loving you always. 

I will miss sneaking to your den to see what you doing and how you would let me blow the whistle hanging behind your computer and watching TV with you and our car rides to McDonalds. Grandpa I wish you could go to my basketball games and see dominate these kids on the court. Grandpa I will miss our conversations and how you always had a new sports car sitting on the little fridge waiting for me when I’d come over to your house. Grandpa we all miss and love you so much

On Wednesday, December 7th, I received a call from an old friend. We hadn’t talked for a few months. He was calling to tell me that he was dying.  We talked,  laughed and shared memories from days and years gone by. He was at peace with his well lived life. I cried when the conversation ended knowing that it would be our last. He passed away 3 days later.   You are missed my friend.

Thanks to James, me and my colleagues are constantly finding ways to alleviate blame and have fun in the process.

Cousin Shelley Ballance Ellis

James is one of my dear cousins who brightened my life with his sense of humor, quick wit, and wealth of knowledge of varying things. 

Super grateful we connected  weekly during the pandemic; thanks to the family Zoom call. 

Following please find my attempt to share some of the things I loved and learned from his shares both recently and in the past.

James treasures/treasured the love he shares/shared with Theresa; he is grateful to have matured into a loving husband and father thanks to her loving companionship, patience and support. He often mentioned how grateful he was that she waited for him to grow into the committed man that he is/was. He also loved his kids beyond measure. 

James told Jade and me that he accepted his fate and the fact that his days were numbered.

James recognized the importance of family connection. He shared joyful memories and the lessons he learned as he looked within and dared to grow beyond some of the hurts and traumas he experienced in our family and in his lifetime. He was grateful to our beloved Aunt Sarah for raising him and Mary; he loved his sister so much, too.

James had interesting careers. He seemed to be most proud of his military service and his service in law enforcement.

James loved his time in the theater during the pandemic. Apparently, he worked with a variety of talented individuals; both on stage and backstage. He became a skilled virtual set designer.

James also created an amazing virtual world. I believe it may have been called SECOND LIFE. I had never seen a virtual reality space that was so extensive and detailed.

One of my fondest memories is that thanks to James, I learned that blame is useless. He encouraged me and I encouraged my team here at the company that I work for, to create blame charts. I will post images of a couple of those for anyone who is interested.

I'm grateful to have been on Zoom with him and other family members before he died. Love extends beyond this realm. Shelley Ballance Ellis

I am so sorry for Jim's family. I went to West Division in Milwaukee with Jim. Such a sweet person. He was in my sister Cher's class, and he was one of my favorite people I met at West. Always had a smile, always so much fun. My deepest sympathy to his friends and family.

I will always remember James as a loving and loyal family man. He stayed with me and Edwin (his brother) several times when he visited KC. The last time was when he came to take care of his mother and, since she passed away while he was here, ended up spending several weeks.  He was always an exceptional houseguest and prided himself on his ability to cook, and he was good at it. I learned over the years that James was an extremely smart, gifted man. He was great at technology and at solving problems.  I will always remember his quirky, offbeat sense of humor. I will miss him. 

I have many happy memories of this delightful man. Please accept my condolences for your loss. 

You will be missed in so many way that I don’t even know yet. You show me what a man and father should walk, talk and be: kind, strong, honest (even if it hurts) and dependable. You showed up for me countless time when I asked (with no complaints) and you showed when I didn’t even know I needed you to. I will miss your story’s, jokes, watching TV shows with you (not jeopardy) and most of all your advice. You made an impact on our lives in such a positive way and we are so grateful. Rest In Peace and Love ❤️  Know that we will be okay old man Brent and I have it covered. 

Merl & I send our deepest sympathy for your loss. 

This was at our mothers wedding. I had just been diagnosed with MS.  I was very sick and couldn’t walk alone.  My brother decided to escort me down the isle so I wouldn’t fall.   

My brother was my person.  I could talk to him about any situation and he would give the most logical advice.  We didn’t always see things eye to eye, but yet he was always right.  It hurts to think this is goodbye so i choose to say see ya later. 

This was after my graduation.  James thought both of us in uniform would be a great picture.

OBITUARY

James P. Massingale

July 11, 1947 – December 10, 2022

Finley-Sunset Hills Mortuary & Sunset Hills Memorial Park

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