James (Jim) Gormley

The Memorial Service for James (Jim) Gormley, Jr will be held on Friday, August 7, 2026, 1:00pm at Harbert Community Church, 6444 Harbert Rd, Sawyer, MI 49125. The service will be available to view online at www.harbertcommunitychurch.org. Online condolences accepted at www.PikeFH.com. Jim died peacefully at Hanson Hospice Center on July 12, 2026.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut to Louise and James H. Gormley, Jim grew up and was educated in West Hartford, Conn. Jim was a gifted student but his passion for flying redirected him to earn a senatorial nomination to the Air Force Academy. Following his Air Force Academy graduation in 1972, Jim became a T-37 jet instructor pilot at Williams Air Force base.

Jim met his wife, Georgiana (George) at his Academy roommate’s wedding and for Jim, it was love at first sight. Three months later, Jim and George spent 10 days with their newlywed friends in Hawaii and Jim proposed on the last night. George said “yes”.

Valuing family life and being able to settle in a community, Jim opted to return to civilian life. Jim enrolled in Marquette University’s Law School and graduated in 1980. Jim practiced law at Davis & Kuelthau, S.C. and Foley & Lardner, LLP for the next 37 years with a specialty in Commercial Real Estate.

Jim was known for his wit, humorous take on life, and his warm, infectious laugh. He was an active, committed community-minded citizen. Jim served as a Board member and President of the Village of Whitefish Bay (12 yrs), a suburban community north of Milwaukee. He continually showed an amazing level of patience and deep sense of serving the citizens of his community. Some examples that Jim helped facilitate were a lakefront park’s edge falling into the lake, flooding in a southern segment of the village, transitioning a former National Guard facility back to the community, repaving neighborhood streets or the issuing of the annual tax bills.

In his retirement years, Jim enjoyed being a Docent once a week at the Air Zoo Aerospace Center in Portage, MI, walking the neighborhood everyday with his best buddy dog Echo, being an active Road Project and Finance chair for his neighborhood association and being involved in his local municipality as the Chair of the Planning Commission.

Jim is survived by his wife Georgiana; two daughters, Georgiana (Gigi) Kalaher of Lucerne, Switzerland and Tuscany, Italy and Stacia Tyner of Gurnee, IL, two generations of Swedish foreign exchange students; Ingvar Ljungqvist and Ylva Ljungqvist, and his beloved grandchildren Alix, Jacie, R.J. and Clara.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Air Zoo Aerospace Center, 6151 Portage Rd, Portage, MI 49002.