James McNair Obituary

I loved Gush very much, he will be missed!!

I never met a person who didn't like Jimmy. Those that knew him well, loved him. The reception Jimmy received when he arrived at a gathering was something I've never seen granted to anyone else. People would shout "Gush" and the gathering immediately became a party. Jimmy had the comedic skills of a stand up comic. And his comedy was always self-deprecating. He never made anyone else the butt of his jokes. And if Jimmy wasn't there, we often filled the void retelling "Gush stories".

Jimmy also had an encyclopedic knowledge of sports. Before the Internet came to be, friends of Jimmy would debate sports history and we often disagreed and reached an intractable impasse. One of us would say, "Call Gush". We considered him the final authority on the subject of sports. Jimmy was also a very good athlete in this own right.

Even as a child, Jimmy was very much in demand. The McNairs and the Duffys were always vying for his time. He was a McNair first, but all of us considered him the 6th Duffy brother. I often told people, " If you didn't grow up with " a Gush ", you had an incomplete childhood".

Jimmy's devotion to his family and friends is beyond praise.

The McNairs have endured far more tragedy than any family I know. Now, Jimmy has been taken from us. About 30 years too soon as far as I'm concerned. My love and deepest condolences go out to Matt, Peggy, and Patty. Jimmy and Matt were not only father and son, they were also best friends. When referring to Matt, Jimmy once told me, " He's everything to me".

I can vividly remember one of my earliest memories. Jimmy must have been about 5 years old. I casually called him "Gush". Who knew the name would stay with him the rest of his life ? Rest well Jimmy. We all love you.

Gush was a very close friend & Member of my Family for Many yrs. My Best memories although I have Many were Playing Basketball & We talked more TRASH ( The Movie White Men Can't jump owe us money for our lines LOL) Gush would guard me telling me NO points today jb & he would D me up tight & was usually right.
Gush was a Ideal Father & I would use him as a example to anyone. I was VERY proud of his Son Matt on how he handled the services. I would like to Thank Tim for all of his Help & Support during this very hard time for us all. Tom gave a very good Eulogy & showed a lot of Courage. I will miss my good friend who I loved & Respected very much Jim Brown Crystal Lake Il.

Debbie,Matthew & McNair family, I'am so sorry to hear of your sudden loss, my thoughts, and prayers go out to you all at this sadden time. Gush left us all with many wonderful memories, a lot of laughs and many stories, He was a great person, always smiling, My best memories with Gush were had in my teenage years hanging out at the Olsons (A Blast) I remember him always with Davey, those too always made me laugh, till this day I can still hear one of Gush's favorite lines (PUT IT THIS WAY)don't know if he still said this in his conversations today, but he sure did then.(LOL) You will truly be missed, but live forever in out hearts!

You will be missed Jim by all of us at the assessors office. May god be with you and bless your family. Love from all of us.

Jim/Gush,
It's just unbelievable that you are gone. You were always the life of the party. Your nickname was a big part of your personality because everytime someone said your name, they smiled. I can't say much more that hasn't already been said. Thoughts and prayers to the McNair Family and those who loved him. Farewell, friend!

I reconnected with Jim only a few years ago. Within these last couple of years Gush has made me laugh and wonder why I lost touch with so many of my friends for such a long period of time. He was always at the events Georgia put together and we had a great time last year at Davey’s for the cross town classic. Gush was our grill man and he was very proud of his cooking skills; for good reason! Gush was a good friend with a heart of gold and I will truly miss him.

I am glad I re-connected with Jim after not seeing him for so many years, but I am saddened by the lack of time we had to get reacquainted. I met back up Jim a little over 2 years ago and I have to say - he made me laugh all the time. Jim was always willing to participate in any outing I would put together (except pottery...lol) he's the type of person who touched so many lives with his upbeat personality and joy for life itself. I'm glad I got to spend Friday with him and Dennis - we did have a fun time despite not seeing a baseball game and oh boy the stories we talked about from years back - had me cracking up all day. Jim - the memories I have with you will live on forever and we will meet again someday. To The McNair Family - may the joy Jim brought into the lives of so many comfort you at this sad time in your lives.

I'm sorry to hear of Gush's passing. He was a great guy and will truly be missed.

My condolences to his friends and family.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Gush's family and friends. May your memories bring you comfort. He was a great guy and will be missed by all.

GUSH, TO QUOTE THE FAMOUS LINE THAT YOU USED ON ME(YOU EVEN USED IT ON ME LAST FRIDAY)"YOU THINK YOU ARE BIG AND BAD LIKE ALAN LADD,BUT YOU ARE SMALL AND PUNY LIKE MICKEY ROONEY".TODAY A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL LIKE MICKEY ROONEY.

Gush, I can't believe your gone . Too young too soon. I saw you last a short time ago, after not seeing you for many years before. I'll always remember the good times we all had . All the parties that were. Basketball at the playground. The birth of your son. I will always cherish these memories. Life is too short. Rest in peace.

My Prayers go out to the family and friends and my wondeful son of gush i am so sad my son lost his father at such a young age gush was a great father to my son i could not ask for a better father then gush was to our son my family and i always thought of gush as part of our family I have so many great memories of gush when he was with us at christmas time and birthday's for matthew I still can't belive he is gone gush was a part of my life that I will never forget he was a fun loving kind man and he brought so much joy to all that was in his life my only comfort is that he is with his beloved mother who he adored and that he will be watching over matthew who also he adored and loved very much he will be deeply missed by all who knew him and he will always be in my heart I will thank him everyday for our beautiful son and promise him matthew will be taken care of by his family I Know I will see gush everytime I look at matthew I will find comfort in that also even though I have to say goodbye to gush I will still have a part of him in matthew I thank god for gush though his life was way to short he did give us a great man a wonderful father and brother and a friend to so many!

Dear Peggy,
My sincerest condolences to you and your family. May his soul rest in peace.
Tee

Dear Peggy,
My sincerest condolences to you and your family. May his soul rest in peace.
Tee

Gush/Jim: I cannot believe you are no longer here. You were a good man. A lot of crazy memories from high school and after. In recent years, you were a great friend, fill-in coach for the Smackers and were always helpful and good to my son when you saw him as well. I know you are at peace and know that you were loved while here and I will always remember you fondly with a smile. God Bless your soul and your family down here. XO