Obituary for James Wesley Jordan, Jr.
On Saturday, September 24th, James Wesley Jordan, Jr, father of six children, (James Jr., Kileen, Melissa, David, Michael, Katherine, and Melissa), and proud grandfather of four grandchildren (Ireland, Tyler, Isaak and Jordan), passed away at the age of 73. James lived a full and colorful life. Born in Greenville, Mississippi, James (Jim or Jimmy) grew up in a loving household filled with devoted parents, two brothers Herb and Bruce, and two sisters Margaret and Marsha.
James always knew his was to be a life of service, starting with work at an orphanage in Greece in 1970. He was a skilled violinist and was part of a musical group which traveled the Greek Islands raising money to build a school for the orphanage. Following his work in Greece, James returned to the states where he took a job as a teacher at a school for troubled youth in Detroit, Michigan.
James then applied his diverse skill set to civil service and spent eight years as the executive assistant to the governor of Michigan. During this time, James coordinated the Michigan Refugee Relief Fund, traveled to Hong Kong and Thailand to facilitate delivery of food and supplies to refugees, and worked extensively as the governor’s liaison for mental health initiatives and urban affairs.
At the end of the governor’s tenure, James moved on to Chair the Department of Health and Rehabilitation for Essex County in New Jersey. James oversaw over 2300 employees and helped spearhead consequential improvements in the state’s handling of psychiatric, geriatric, and environmental affairs. Not one to get complacent, James then moved on to serve as Director of the Department of Health and Public Safety in Broward County Florida where he oversaw a variety of county issues ranging from sexual assault response, emergency management, hurricane preparedness, and first responder initiatives to the management of services for the mentally ill along with alcohol and drug abuse treatment.
James then seamlessly transferred to a position as the Senior Vice President of the North Broward Hospital District. It was during his time overseeing the hospital district that James began to focus on what became his life’s work, the removal of stigma and improvement of treatment and access to services for the mentally ill. James left his position with the hospital district to assume the Executive Directorship of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Pennsylvania. James worked tirelessly to advocate for the mentally ill, leaving a lasting legacy of improvement of treatment and increased awareness and services upon his retirement in 2016.
James led an interesting life of service and employment, but this aspect only skims the surface of the full breadth of his life. James loved classical music, books, and marital arts. He was a fan of James Bond, Michigan sports of any kind, and Hallmark Christmas movies. James loved to take long drives in his car and was always up for a delicious meal with family or friends. James was a beloved brother to his siblings and a devoted father who loved his children. He felt truly blessed by his grandchildren and dedicated his retirement years to the selfless upbringing of his special needs grandson. James had a magnetic and charismatic personality and was truly a man who would give you the shirt off his back; an attitude his close friends returned in spades. The close relationships he had with Margaret Gorensek, Dick Dash, and Norma Swain exemplified the kind of man James was. These friendships are the kind only special people can share – people who truly became family to him.
James had an indomitable spirit, a love of life, and an unshakable devotion to Christianity with complete faith in God. James was afflicted with metastatic colon cancer in 2014 and was given a 14% chance of living five years. James’ strong religious foundation along with his warrior’s spirit and the support of his friends and family allowed him to live eight full and fulfilling years beyond this diagnosis. Only the addition of an MDS diagnosis in 2021 could finally slow him down, and he even outlasted this setback by over a year.
James W. Jordan, Jr. was a fine example of a man who lived life to the fullest. He took nothing for granted and treasured each and every day. James will be greatly missed by those left behind, but we are all confident we will see him again one day.
A memorial service for James will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, October 7, 2022, in the Second Baptist Church, 441 Monroe St., Detroit, MI 48226. A visitation with James’ family will be held in the church on Friday from 10:30 A.M. until the time of the service.
For those who wish to send cards, please use the following address:
James W. Jordan, Sr.
21396 Magnolia Ct.
Farmington Hills, MI 48336
James always knew his was to be a life of service, starting with work at an orphanage in Greece in 1970. He was a skilled violinist and was part of a musical group which traveled the Greek Islands raising money to build a school for the orphanage. Following his work in Greece, James returned to the states where he took a job as a teacher at a school for troubled youth in Detroit, Michigan.
James then applied his diverse skill set to civil service and spent eight years as the executive assistant to the governor of Michigan. During this time, James coordinated the Michigan Refugee Relief Fund, traveled to Hong Kong and Thailand to facilitate delivery of food and supplies to refugees, and worked extensively as the governor’s liaison for mental health initiatives and urban affairs.
At the end of the governor’s tenure, James moved on to Chair the Department of Health and Rehabilitation for Essex County in New Jersey. James oversaw over 2300 employees and helped spearhead consequential improvements in the state’s handling of psychiatric, geriatric, and environmental affairs. Not one to get complacent, James then moved on to serve as Director of the Department of Health and Public Safety in Broward County Florida where he oversaw a variety of county issues ranging from sexual assault response, emergency management, hurricane preparedness, and first responder initiatives to the management of services for the mentally ill along with alcohol and drug abuse treatment.
James then seamlessly transferred to a position as the Senior Vice President of the North Broward Hospital District. It was during his time overseeing the hospital district that James began to focus on what became his life’s work, the removal of stigma and improvement of treatment and access to services for the mentally ill. James left his position with the hospital district to assume the Executive Directorship of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Pennsylvania. James worked tirelessly to advocate for the mentally ill, leaving a lasting legacy of improvement of treatment and increased awareness and services upon his retirement in 2016.
James led an interesting life of service and employment, but this aspect only skims the surface of the full breadth of his life. James loved classical music, books, and marital arts. He was a fan of James Bond, Michigan sports of any kind, and Hallmark Christmas movies. James loved to take long drives in his car and was always up for a delicious meal with family or friends. James was a beloved brother to his siblings and a devoted father who loved his children. He felt truly blessed by his grandchildren and dedicated his retirement years to the selfless upbringing of his special needs grandson. James had a magnetic and charismatic personality and was truly a man who would give you the shirt off his back; an attitude his close friends returned in spades. The close relationships he had with Margaret Gorensek, Dick Dash, and Norma Swain exemplified the kind of man James was. These friendships are the kind only special people can share – people who truly became family to him.
James had an indomitable spirit, a love of life, and an unshakable devotion to Christianity with complete faith in God. James was afflicted with metastatic colon cancer in 2014 and was given a 14% chance of living five years. James’ strong religious foundation along with his warrior’s spirit and the support of his friends and family allowed him to live eight full and fulfilling years beyond this diagnosis. Only the addition of an MDS diagnosis in 2021 could finally slow him down, and he even outlasted this setback by over a year.
James W. Jordan, Jr. was a fine example of a man who lived life to the fullest. He took nothing for granted and treasured each and every day. James will be greatly missed by those left behind, but we are all confident we will see him again one day.
A memorial service for James will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, October 7, 2022, in the Second Baptist Church, 441 Monroe St., Detroit, MI 48226. A visitation with James’ family will be held in the church on Friday from 10:30 A.M. until the time of the service.
For those who wish to send cards, please use the following address:
James W. Jordan, Sr.
21396 Magnolia Ct.
Farmington Hills, MI 48336