James "Jim" E. Donnelly

James "Jim" E. Donnelly, 79, of Cambridge, died Thursday (April 23, 2015) at Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center, Cambridge. He was born April 26, 1935 in Petoskey MI, son of the late James L. Donnelly and Leona (Lawrason) Donnelly. Mr. Donnelly had worked in the oil & gas industry for over fifty years. He was a member of Christ Our Light Parish. He had a very deep faith and always wanted to go to church, even when the dementia began to affect his thinking. No matter how many times you asked him where he would like to go, he always replied "Heaven". He was instrumental in raising funds for the underprivileged children of Guernsey County. He believed in a Catholic education and worked to keep the Catholic High School open. He served on the church senate and the Christ Renews His Parish committee. He was also a proponent of marriage encounter. In his younger days, he coached youth football and was a supporter of Boy Scouts of America. He was an avid sports fan from Michigan - it took a few years, but we converted him into a Buckeye fan. Jim was a loving and loyal husband, loving father and grandfather. He loved his family - his brother and sisters meant the world to him. He also loved the family he married in to, each and every one of us. Nieces and nephews made him a very happy man. His love and respect for family, especially his love for his mother, surpassed anything in this world. Mr. Donnelly was a US Air Force veteran. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Delores Nichols and Joan Sweet. He is survived by his wife, Ellen M. (Burt) Donnelly, whom he married August 20, 1970; a daughter, Lisa Donnelly Stoneburner of Blacklick; four brothers, Charles W. Donnelly of Petoskey MI, Michael M. (& Terri) Donnelly of Traverse City MI, Patrick H. (& Christol) of Elkhart IN, and Gerald A. (& JoAnn) Donnelly of Petoskey MI; a grandson, Zachary James Stoneburner; and his extended family of brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews. Visitation will be held Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Cambridge. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday (May 1, 2015) at 12 p.m. at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Cambridge, with Father Robert Borer officiating. Burial will be at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Cambridge, with military graveside services conducted by the Guernsey County Veterans Council.