James Patrick Hayes

James Patrick Hayes, 33, Rockford, died Sunday, July 25, 2010, at home. Jim was born on March 16, 1977, in Milwaukee, WI. He graduated from Auburn High School in 1995, and from Beloit College in 1999. Jim was active in football, baseball, and was part of the Creative and Performing Arts Program at Auburn High School. He was a philosophy major at Beloit College and had unique insights about human behavior and interpersonal relationships. He understood the needs of the underprivileged and mentally ill and worked as Admissions Director at Fairview Nursing Plaza in Rockford. Jim loved traveling, music, movies, nature, Native American culture, the Cubs, Da Bears, and all things Irish. He is survived by his mother, Jane; father, Richard; stepmom Anne; sisters, Sarah, Emily, Laura, and a brother, David. He was beloved by his relatives Larry, Peter, and Sean, his patients and friends too numerous to count, and his pets Dozer, Midnight, and Eve. He was predeceased by grandparents and Uncle Tom.Visitation will be from 5pm until 8pm, Thursday, July 29, 2010, at Fitzgerald Funeral Home and Crematory, Riverside Chapel, 3910 N. Rockton Ave. Rockford, 61103 and a time of sharing to follow. Burial will be at the Urn Garden at Greenwood Cemetery at 10:00am on Friday, July 30, 2010. Share online condolences at www.fitzgeraldfh.com. In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be established at a later date..Jim, when we lost you, time stood still. What moves through us is a silence"¦a quiet sadness"¦a longing for one more day"¦ one more word"¦one more touch"¦ We may not understand why you left this earth so soon or why you left before we were ready to say good-bye; but little by little, we begin to remember not just that you died but that you lived and that your life gave us memories too beautiful to forget. We will see you again someday, in a heavenly place where there in no parting, a place where there are no words that mean good-bye.