James "Jim" Ignatius Pirrie

James Ignatius Pirrie of Elkhart, IN died on Wednesday, October 9 at the age of 92. Jim was born on October 4, 1927 in Melbourne, Australia to his parents, Richard and Isabel (Maguire) Pirrie, who preceded him in death. He was the beloved husband of Maria (Cooney), loving father of Elizabeth (Martin) Hoffmann and Helen (Joe) Roy, and cherished grandfather of Jules, Louise, and Johanna James Roy. Jim was preceded in death by all six of his siblings: sister, Helen; brothers, Richard, Kevin, John, Andrew, and Peter Pirrie of Melbourne. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by mother-in-law Suzanne Cooney, his sisters-in-law Donna Pirrie of Sydney, Coralie Pirrie and Genevieve Pirrie of Melbourne, brothers-in-law Ray (Mary Ellen) Cooney of New York and Brian (Carol) Cooney of Wisconsin, and a host of nieces and nephews in Australia and the US who love him dearly.  

Jim led a true life of service. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in the Society of Jesus in Melbourne, which afforded him the opportunity to counsel and teach in Australia, internationally, and finally to serve in the Province of Chicago. After leaving the priesthood, Jim married Maria on April 4, 1981 in Chicago. They welcomed daughters Elizabeth in 1983 and Helen in 1986.  After serving as an Addiction Counselor for nearly 30 years between Evanston Hospital in Illinois and Oaklawn Hospital in Goshen, he finally retired at the age of 80. Jim was a great athlete, excelling as a young man in cricket and Australian rules football. He always took time to greet all children in his path, was devout in his Faith, and he enjoyed gardening, feeding the birds, and sneaking treats with his granddaughters.

Visitation will be held at Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019 from 1-4 pm. Services will follow at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1108 S. Main St., Elkhart, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019 at 11:00 am with visitation beginning at 10 am. Frs. Matthew Coonan and Kevin Bauman will officiate and burial will follow at a later date at St. Vincent Cemetery in Elkhart. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Serenity Hall, 949 Middlebury St., Elkhart, IN 46516

Please come join us as we bid farewell and say a prayer for the old bloke.

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