McCaffrey, James Peter 1952 - 2019
MCCAFFREY, HARTELT, LEE, WITT, TOBIN-BENSON, COSIMINI, ANDERSON, HOLKESVIK
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 9/1/2019 at 19:08:46
Jim McCaffrey, age 67, passed away August 1, 2019 at his home in Decorah.
A Celebration of Life will be held Tuesday, August 6, 3 to 6 pm at McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita, 2149 Twin Springs Road in Decorah. Eulogy will be given at 3:30 pm. All are welcome.
James Peter McCaffrey was born on January 20, 1952, the son of Leonard Peter and Gerda Agnes (Hartelt) McCaffrey. He was baptized at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids and spent his early years in Hiawatha. The family moved to Decorah in 1963. Jim then attended elementary school at St. Benedicts in Decorah. Following advanced placement classes, Jim graduated a year early, in 1969, from De Sales High School in Ossian.
Jim was an Upward Bound student at Luther College. He studied a liberal arts curriculum, focusing on English and history. Following his college career, Jim became a passionate participant in the Vietnam protests of his generation. A belief in social justice became a lifelong pursuit. He spent his post-college years living in California, Iowa City and Madison, WI, picking up carpenter work to fund his travels along the way. He celebrated America’s Bicentennial in 1976 hitchhiking through Europe with his life-long friend James Ronan. Eventually, Jim returned home to Decorah to assist with the renovation of the historic Armory building.
On December 22, 1979, Jim persistently pursued and married the love of his life, Brenda Lee of Decorah, despite his inability to dance. For the next 40 years, Jim introduced Brenda as his ‘semi-beautiful’ wife wherever they went – which was often, adventurous, and always surrounded by family and friends. Jim designed and built their home in rural Decorah. Together they raised three children: Shanon, Fawn and Conor.
From 1981-84, Jim and Brenda owned and operated the Café Deluxe and McCaffrey’s Supper Club in the Armory building. It was during this time that the couple established restaurant relationships they would enjoy for the rest of their lives together. Jim spent 25 years employed at Calmar Manufacturing, where he began as a cabinetmaker. Following a fall, he was moved to the office, serving as head estimator, where he remained for the rest of his career. Jim always called it the best fall of his life. During this time, Brenda served as customer service manager at Walmart. Basically, they both made their money by talking other people into things they didn’t even know they needed. Most of the time, it involved food and drink.
In 2007, Jim and Brenda built McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita wood-fired pizzeria and bakery on the former McCaffrey family farm in rural Decorah, which was Jim’s idea of early retirement. The restaurant was both a return to their Café Deluxe roots, their love of food and fellowship, and the ‘dolce vita’ – the ‘sweet life’ they experienced on travels to Italy, hand-built wood-fired stove and all. Together with their children, they created a live music venue, a family restaurant and a catering business.
Jim possessed an uncanny – or maybe just Irish – ability to turn dreams into reality, and even better, convince everyone around him to come along for the ride. He plowed into every project (or several at once) full force, and, despite frequent protests from Brenda and family, would simply say, ‘Come on. It’s a piece of cake.’ Most of these piece of cake plans came about at 4 am or over a crossword puzzle. Where others saw nothing, Jim always saw a very large something. It was this stubborn, exuberant, creative, freight train personality that defined him. It is widely known that Brenda provided the rails that kept the Jim McCaffrey train on the track.
Jim was an avid reader and writer. He published two cookbooks of treasured recipes, bad jokes, and good old Irish humour -Midwest Corn Fusion and Mississippi Mirth. He was a columnist for Tapestry and Inspire(d) magazines. Jim had a quick wit and a sharp intellect. He never stopped learning and sharing his ideas and opinions with others. Whether or not they asked for them is up for debate.
Family and friends recall countless occasions where Brenda would ask Jim what he had gotten her into next. What had he given money to that he couldn’t afford? Where had he volunteered time he didn’t possess? Jim spent years contributing to the Decorah Community Meal and working with the Convention and Visitor Bureau. He prepared bricks for the restoration of the Whalen cabin kiln in Decorah’s Phelps Park. Money meant little to Jim save how it was spent to bring people together in community. He probably would have fed customers at the restaurant for free if he didn’t need to eat himself.
Jim had a love for life larger than most human beings possess. He had a gift for gab that made strangers family within minutes. He was an eclectic chef, partner, parent, grandparent, sibling, uncle and friend to all. Jim was an old soul who managed to retain the imagination of his childhood. His greatest gift was how he made us believe in ourselves – because he believed in us. His love, creativity and faith in our humanity will be missed beyond measure. Hopefully, he haunts us.
Jim’s survivors include his wife Brenda and children Shanon, Fawn and Conor of Decorah; grandchildren August and Stella Witt, Kamran Tobin-Benson, and Rowen McCaffrey, all of Decorah; siblings Patrick (Cindy) McCaffrey of Decorah, Daniel McCaffrey of Decorah and Pete (Gena) McCaffrey of Decorah; his sisters and brothers-in-law Mark Cosimini of St. Paul, MN, Karen and Luther Anderson of Calmar, Bonnie Holkesvik of Decorah and Larry and Joan Lee of Calmar; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Gerda McCaffrey; his sister Angela McCaffrey; his mother and father in law Vernon and Marcella Lee; brother in law David Holkesvik; and granddaughter Ava Marie Witt.
Source: Schluter-Balik Funeral Home database
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
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