Deacon James J. Thill Sr., 82, of Dubuque, died Sunday, April 6, 2025, at the Stonehill Care Center in Dubuque.

Visitation will be from 3:00 pm until 7:30 pm Thursday, April 10, 2025 at Holy Spirit Parish – Sacred Heart Catholic Church where a prayer service will be held at 7:30 pm.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Deacon Jim will be 10:00 am Friday, April 11, 2025, at Holy Spirit Parish – Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Archbishop Thomas Zinkula as the Celebrant. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Dubuque.

James was born January 3, 1943, in Dubuque, IA, the son of Gerald  and Marjorie Apel Thill. He attended grade school at Sacred Heart and graduated from Wahlert High School. He attended multiple Continuing Education Sessions and Conferences at the University of Notre Dame. As a teenager and into middle age, he enjoyed playing softball in city recreation league, handball, sandlot basketball and soccer, golfing, and bowling. He played the guitar for about 30 years. As a young teenager, he went to work at Bassler’s Shoe Store for eight years and then worked for 39 years as a journeyman meat cutter in the retail market at the “Pack”. He was a member and leader in the United Food and Commercial Works Union Local 431.

Jim was a life-long member of Holy Spirit Parish and a member of the Holy Name Society (men’s club). On September 15, 1962, he married Sandra Jones in Sacred Heart Church and devoted his life to his marriage and his family. He confided in a few close confidants, “If I fail as a husband and a father, nothing else really matters.” Strong believers in Catholic School education, Jim and Sandy graduated all their children from Wahlert High School. Sandy preceded him in death on September 5, 2016. They were among the founding members and leaders of the Living Word Catholic Charismatic Pray Group for 55 years. In Charismatic Renewal, he served on the National Advisory Council to the National Service Committee for 24 years and was a member of multiple Conference Leadership Teams at conferences throughout the United States in those years. In 1990, he attended, by invitation only representing the United States, a nine day conference on The Holy Spirit and Evangelization in Rome, Italy. He was very active in Christian Experience Weekends for a long time. In 2007, he received the duty to God Award for helping further the mission of Scouting in the Catholic Church. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 510. He was a member of the ad hoc committee that developed the Directory for the Permanent Diaconate in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. He was a speaker at conferences, days of renewal, evenings of renewal, study clubs and facilitated bible sharing groups and bible study groups over the years. He developed and led a Confirmation Preparation Program in the parish. He served on various committees in the parish: liturgy committee, evangelization committee, parish life committee, and pastoral council. He began full-time service in the parish in 2000 as a Pastoral Associate. He found great joy in visiting the classrooms at Holy Ghost School. On October 22, 2005, he was ordained a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Dubuque and since then has been assigned ministry in Holy Spirit Parish, Dubuque. He was a strong encourager…wanting to activate and animate the lay faithful in their roles of service.

He often said, “The most profound thing that could be said of someone is that they were a person of faith, family, and friends.” He tried to live his life according to that belief. He used to think you had to go somewhere to do some big thing to experience the glory and kingdom of God but he discovered that puttzing around the garage with his son, dad-daughter date nights, trying to teach his kids how to ski, his kids concerts, choir programs, recitals and plays, family picnics and gatherings, weekly date nights with Sandy, and things like this is where the kingdom of God and the glory of God is found and can be readily seen. Jim and Sandy’s family celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, as well as other holidays were celebrations of the glory of God found in their family.

Survivors include his three children, James (Jennifer) Thill, Jr., Kelly LeGrand, and Renee (Harold) Benedict, all of Dubuque, IA; 12 grandchildren, Lisa (Steve) McGrath, Caitlynn (Alex) Helbing, Jacob Thill, Sadie Thill, Wyatt Thill, Lucas (Morgan) LeGrand, Travis (Jaidyn Behrle) LeGrand, Trenton Wolbers, Heather (Jharid) Minor, Alisha (Charles Rubio) Weis, Zshawn Weis, and Malysa (Darren) Hanson; ten great-grandchildren, Collin and Maxwell McGrath, Leo and Lincoln Helbing, Crew and Coen LeGrand, Nicholas Ray LeGrand, and Maialyn and Charles Rubio, and Zshawn Luke Weis; one son-in-law, Curtis Wolbers of Eldridge, IA; his four siblings, Thomas (Diane) Thill of Dubuque, Barbara Jungk of Houston, TX, Dennis Thill, and Gary (Lory) Thill, all of Dubuque; and in-laws, Barbara Fecker and Susan Jones of Dubuque, Steve Jones of Maquoketa, and Jean Jones of Dubuque; and many nieces and nephews.

Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by one daughter, Roberta Wolbers, two grandsons, Nicholas LeGrand and Hunter Thill, his parents, his father- and mother-in-law, Robert Sr. and Mildred Jones, two sisters-in-law, Judith (Delbert) Bischoff, Joyce Thill, and three brothers-in-law, Ronald Jones, Joseph Fecker, and Robert Jones Jr.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Deacon James J. Thill Sr. Memorial Fund.

The family would like to thank the priests, staff, and people of Holy Spirit Parish and the Diaconate Community for your love and compassion.

Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home and Crematory is in care of the arrangements.

A photo tribute can be viewed and condolences sent to the family by visiting Deacon Jim’s obituary at www.hskfhcares.com.