By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
For Burlington Mayor Bob Miller, no one had the passion for the City of Burlington that former Alderman Jim McCourt possessed.
“Jim had a passion for this city, and what was best for it,” said Miller of McCourt, who died Saturday at the age of 88.
The 30-year City Council member had been suffering from pneumonia, and had been in hospice. He died at Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington.
McCourt’s passion for the city played itself out in a number of ways. In addition to being a long-time member of the council, McCourt was an active member of the Burlington Lions Club, where he served as treasurer. He was a Melvin Jones Fellowship winner – the highest award given by Lions Club International.
“As a fellow Lion and a fellow citizen of Burlington, losing Jim puts a hole in the history of Burlington,” said Lions Club member and past president John Lynch Jr. “He was such a wealth of knowledge. He is someone who will not be able to be replaced.”
Miller called McCourt a “walking encyclopedia.”
“A topic would come up, and he was able to come back, from memory, with dates and times and who the council had dealt with in the past,” said Miller.
McCourt also had a reputation of being impassioned when needed – and also keeping a sense of humor about it.
Miller recalled a situation in City Council where the aldermen were discussing various ways to deal with the large number of geese in Echo Park.
“Baseball bats work just fine,” Miller recalled McCourt saying, quickly adding that McCourt made the comment in jest.
That didn’t stop an uproar from developing, though.
“It went ballistic,” recalled Miller.
Survivors include his wife, Jane, as well as many children and grandchildren. A complete obituary is available on www.myracinecounty.com as well.
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