Dr. James C. Vary (in memorium)
Introduction
James Corydon Vary, Sr., was born on February 24, 1939, to Mary Allison Burns and Edwin Phelps Vary in Flint, Michigan, the fourth of five children. He spent his summers at Higgins Lake, where he roamed the woods and streams with his sister Janette, competed in Higgins Lake Boat Club regattas on their beloved Lightning sailboat, and worked at the local grocery store and boat yard. These experiences inspired a lifelong work ethic and deep love of nature, boats, water, and hands-on projects – from woodworking to engine repair.
Jim attended high school at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, which he described as a tremendous opportunity. This led to four years at Brown University, where he pledged Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and met George Gurney, Chas Milmine, and Mike Carly, who became friends for life. After the sudden death of his father, Jim considered leaving school, but the support of an excellent and caring professor at Brown helped him not only complete his undergraduate degree in biology but go on to study biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin. At Madison, he received master’s and PhD degrees in bacteriology, became a devoted fan of the Packers and Sheboygan brats, and met and married Patricia Potter, who was earning a master’s degree in microbiology. They continued their studies at Stanford, where Jim was a post-doctoral student in the lab of Nobel-prize-winning scientist Dr. Arthur Kornberg.
A job as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at the Medical Center in Chicago brought Jim back to the Midwest. He and Pat settled in Wheaton and had two children, Catherine and Jay (James, Jr.). He remained at the University of Illinois throughout his career, becoming a full professor; conducting basic science research on the biochemistry of spore formation in bacteria; and teaching biochemistry to generations of researchers and medical, nursing, and dental students. He discovered a passion and natural talent for teaching – his excitement for learning, care for students, and methodical way of explaining complex concepts led to several Professor of the Year and Distinguished Teacher of the Year Awards. Of all of his career accomplishments, he was most proud of his work as a teacher and in graduate/medical school admissions. This including decades of teaching students in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) Urban Health Program, which increases the representation of under-represented students in health sciences/professions in order to address persistent health disparities affecting communities of color in Chicago and beyond.
As much as he loved his work at UIC, Jim’s favorite role was as a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. After his divorce, he met and married Patricia Link Schell in 1990, and he was thrilled to become part of the lives of her seven children, Pam, Terri, John, Tom, Mike, Bob and Dave. He was a constant source of steady love and support (and home repair tips) for all of his children, which enabled them to do great things, including sharing this love and support with their own 18 children. As he told his granddaughter recently, “It has been an absolute blast watching you grow up.”
Always carefully planning, Jim and Pat moved to Wyndemere several years ago, where they made good friends and became part of a community that wrapped their arms around the family after Jim’s diagnosis with small cell lung cancer in July. The family is also very grateful to his many friends from Northwestern Medicine’s Central DuPage Hospital, where he volunteered several days a week after retirement, loving the routine (especially delivering the mail) and people he met. Jim was head of the workshop at Wyndemere, and Jim and Pat worked with the DuPage Woodworkers to make hundreds of wooden toy race cars for under-resourced/ill children in the area (the family is working on adding wheels to his final cars). In addition to the above, Jim loved classical music and art, a good martini, steak, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, skiing, reading the daily newspaper, mysteries, oxford shirts, khakis, and rep ties.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Anne and Janette, brothers Robert and Wilber (Bill), stepson John, and nephew Mark Robbins. He is survived by his wife, Pat; children Catherine (Derek) Voigt, Jay (Jennifer) Vary, Pam Boland, Terri Schell, Tom (Molly) Schell, Mike (Nicole Harguindeguy) Schell, Bob (Amy) Schell, and Dave (Kelly Anderton) Schell; grandchildren Parker, Graeme, and Emma Boland; Rebecca (Andy) Wu; Cara (Josh) Hobson and Ryan Schell; Ashley, Marisa, and Celia Voigt; Alex Schell; Matilda and Carter Vary; Elizabeth, Jack, and Tommy Schell; and Makena, Rene, and Zane Schell; great-grandchildren Bella and Vivian Wu; Jackson and Eliana Boland; and James Hobson; nieces Anne Gray, Mary and Paula Robbins, Alicia Curtiss, and Sara Saenz; nephews Edwin (Diane) Vary and Mike (Kim) Robbins.
Obituary provided by his family.