James W. Eardley

James W. Eardley, known to many as "Jimbo," 75, of Bloomington, passed away Saturday, October 17, 2020 at his home.

His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 24, 2020 at Holy Trinity Church, Bloomington. Private interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Normal. Visitation will be from 4-6 p.m. Friday, October 23, 2020 at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

He was born October 15, 1945 in Dundee, a son of William Eli and Lorraine Bracke Eardley. He married Carolyn Galloway on April 16, 1966; they were married for 19 years. He was married to his lovely wife, Joan Burton Anderson for 35 years, having married in Las Vegas, NV on May 22, 1990. She survives.

Also surviving are three sons, James (Thongmaun) Eardley Jr. and Jon (Zandra) Eardley, both of Tampa, FL, and Andrew (Brianne) Anderson of Atlanta, IL; a daughter, Amy (Jimmy) Strohkirch of Minier; six grandchildren, Christian Anderson, Nicholas Strohkirch, Sydney Anderson, Andy Thorton-Davis, Marlee Thorton-Davis and Brooklynn Anderson, who knew him as "Papa Choo Choo"; two brothers, Thomas (Janet) Eardley of Bloomington and Richard (Linda) Eardley of Mahomet; and a sister, Vicki (Ed Martin) Eardley-Martin of Bloomington.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister.

Jim first worked for GE for 17 years, then Diamond Star for 10 years. He and Joan moved to Madisonville, KY in 2000 where he worked for Autoliv for 8 years. That is where they "adopted" their "Kentucky son," Jason McKinney and his children, Zoey and Zane. They returned to Bloomington in 2008. He has worked at Enterprise Rent-A-Car for the last 5 years.

Jimbo was one of a kind. He never knew a stranger and could talk to anyone. His focus in life was to make sure everyone around him had a good time. He was a such a jokester and everyone who knows him can tell stories and laugh for hours. He loved to travel with his wife, collect coins and Lionel trains, play cards, gamble, Southern Comfort and his cigarettes.