Mr. James McNeill Jr.'s Obituary
James "Jimmy" McNeill Jr., 60, of Tampa, died Monday, April 30, 2007, under the care of his family and private nurses at Melech Hospice in Temple Terrace. Born March 24, 1947, in Santa Cruz, Calif., he moved here at 4 months and settled in Tampa, and later, in St. Petersburg. As a young boy, he immersed himself in sports and developed a natural talent for tennis. Jimmy served in the Marine Corps Reserve during the Vietnam War. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor's degree in English education. He taught briefly but found solace and friendship working as a nighttime security guard for more than 10 years at Benjamin Towers in St. Petersburg. An avid reader and writer, Jimmy enjoyed poetry and wrote an extensive speculative essay on the theory of universal evolution and transformation. He had a zealous passion for foreign film, literature, philosophy and independent politics. With a keen sense of humor and a desire to observe and empathize with the human race, Jimmy was a unique individual whose perception and insight will be sorely missed by all of his family members, friends, nurses and loved ones. Survivors include his mother, Teresa Ramis, and her long-term companion, Jose Torres; his brother, Bobby Fernandez, and his wife, Marilyn; two daughters, Lisa Jane McNeill, and Alicia Damijan and her husband, Sima; his son, Paul Iglesias; his grandson, Anthony Iglesias; his lifelong friend, Bonnie Iglesias; his extensive family of loving and caring aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews; and countless devoted nurses and friends, some of whom considered Jimmy an influential "second father."
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