Obituary
On February 9, 2022 James Frederic Mayer, aged 96, died peacefully in his home surrounded by his adoring family. He was a loving husband to his wife Lila Mayer for 71 years, ever-supportive father to his daughter Marjorie Mayer and son Robert Mayer, and doting grandfather to his granddaughter, Rebecca Mayer. James was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 7, 1926 to Rena and Simon Mayer and grew up in Winnetka, Illinois. He had one brother, Richard Mayer. A precocious child, James (Jimmy to his family and friends) was sent to Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana to complete his high school education before beginning his college career at Cornell University with a major in Chemical Engineering. James relished the personal connections made at both Culver and Cornell, attending class reunions into his nineties. In 1943, he entered the United States Army where he was a member of the 311th Infantry, 78th Division, fighting in the European Theatre. He received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service. James married his wife Lila in 1951 in Steubenville, Ohio. Keeping with a family history of work in the agricultural commodities industry, James spent his early career working for major international grain companies like Continental Grain Company. His work as a commodities broker required the Mayer family to move frequently. They lived in Virginia, Minnesota, and even Rotterdam, Holland for an exciting year, before settling in South Orange, New Jersey. Eventually, James started his own successful grain brokerage company in New Jersey. He continued his business in Illinois (until the age of 94) after he and Lila moved to Wilmette to be closer to their only grandchild. His outsized role in his granddaughter, Rebecca’s life is irreplaceable. Aside from being wholly dedicated to his work and family, James had a great passion for travelling, learning, and staying active. He had the opportunity to travel extensively, reaching almost every continent, even Antarctica in his late seventies. He was an avid and lifelong student with a particular interest in history. He enjoyed reading biographies on notable figures, studying financial markets, and attending lectures. A strong mind matched a strong body. James continued to play his favorite sport, tennis, in to his nineties and even caught on to the pandemic trends of Zoom chair aerobics and daily One Day University lectures. James Frederic Mayer made a lasting positive impression on so many with his kind nature, big heart, and genuine care for all around him. He was the treasured head of his family and his passing leaves behind an immense space that his loved ones will fill with countless good memories. The Mayer family is extremely grateful to James and Lila’s extraordinary team of caregivers, Halina, Lidia, and Janina, who made James’ passing as comfortable and peaceful as possible. A memorial will be held for James at Chicago Jewish Funerals in Skokie, Illinois on Friday, February 11 at 1:00 pm. The service may be viewed live online at https://chicagojewishfunerals.com/. At the time of the funeral, visit the website and you will see the live broadcast. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in James’ name to Culver Academies: https://www.culver.org/give or towards planting a tree in Israel through the Jewish National Fund: bit.ly/MayerJNF
Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals. www.chicagojewishfunerals.com