The Rev. Doctor James Maurice Booth Savides died peacefully on November 22, 2011, at Dove Health Care West. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin on Sept. 28 1923, the son of Rev. Youvan S. Savides and Ethel Nelson Savides. Youvan, a Greek language teacher, and Ethel, a Canadian missionary, met while serving at an orphanage in Tarsus, Turkey. Jim grew up in Racine with his three brothers and one sister and graduated from Washington Park High School. He was employed at the Modine Manufacturing Company as a Blue Print Boy. Jim was also a newspaper deliverer, the fourth of his family to distribute the Racine Journal Times. At age 19, Jim enlisted in the US Army Air Corps. He served as a navigator in the Air Corps for three years during WWII. He received his honorable discharge at the rank of Second Lieutenant. After military service, Jim entered the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he met the love of his life, Katharyn G. Jenks. They wed in 1948 and both graduated with degrees in 1949, Jim with a degree in History and Katie with a degree in English. While a student at UW-Madison, Jim served as pastor at Black Earth First Congregational Church. Jim next enrolled in the graduate school of Theology at Oberlin College in Ohio where he received his Bachelor of Divinity degree. While at Oberlin he was licensed by the Medina Association of Congregational Churches and served as student pastor at Chatham Congregational Church in Ohio. Jim and Katie had two children born to them in Ohio, John in 1949 and Paul in 1951. They returned to Wisconsin in 1952 when Jim accepted the call to serve as pastor and teacher at First Congregational Church in Mondovi. Two daughters, Betsy and Ann, were born in Mondovi during Jim's five-year pastorate there. While serving Union Congregational Church in Waupun, Jim and Katie's fifth child, Stephen, was born. Jim built and dedicated a new church in Waupun in 1958. In 1963 Jim was elected and called to be the Executive Minister of the Northwest Association of the Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ. This was the result of the merger of the Congregational Conference of Wisconsin and the North and South Synods of the Evangelical and Reform Church. Jim spent 25 years as the Northwest Association minister. In recognition of his exemplary service, he received Doctor of Divinity degrees from Northland and Lakeland Colleges. Upon retirement from this position in 1988, Jim joined the staff at First Congregational UCC in Eau Claire as a Pulpit Associate, serving in that capacity for eight years. In later years they were blessed to reside at Heatherwood Assisted Living. Jim and Katie loved to travel and went to Greece three times to visit Jim's long distance family. They also vacationed in England for pleasure and study on three different occasions. Every year their family would delight in vacationing together in northern Minnesota at Lyons' Pine Aire Resort. Jim and Katie were both active in areas of social justice and philanthropy, following their passion and commitment to their deeply held faith values. In their professional lives, Jim and Katie were frequently tormented by the tensions between total commitment to family and career. In the Greek way they proclaimed, "Family is not everything, family is the only thing!" Their loving and generous spirit led them to welcome many others into their home and family; friends of their children, foreign students at UW-Eau Claire, treasured church and university colleagues and friends. He is survived by son John (Phyllis) Savides of Charlottesville, VA, son Paul (Peggy) Savides of Mondovi, WI, daughter Betsy (Terri) Savides of Vashon, WA, daughter Ann Savides Dolan of Lancaster, WI, son Stephen (Diane) Savides of Appleton, WI, his sister-in-law Virginia Savides of Morton, IL. and his adoring grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, wife Katie Savides, oldest brother Dr. Theodore Savides, brother Dr. Harold Savides, brother Philip Savides, sister Helen Brown, and grandson Peter Leo Dolan. A memorial service honoring the life of Jim Savides will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, November 26, at First Congregational UCC of Eau Claire with Rev. Dr. Mark X. Pirazzini and Rev. Dr. David Moyer, Conference Minister for Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ, Rev. Robert Mutton, recently Association Minister for the Southwest Wisconsin Association of United Church of Christ officiating. Burial will be in First Congregational United Church of Christ Memorial Garden. In lieu of flowers, memorials for Jim can be directed to: First Congregational United Church of Christ, 310 Broadway St., Eau Claire, WI 54703.

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