James A. Deery's Obituary
James Deery Obituary
James A. Deery, 73, of Elyria, died August 31, 2022 at his home. He was born March 29, 1949 in Elyria, an only child with a multitude of cousins and what seemed like an infinite number of friends. He attended Holy Cross School on West Ave. in Elyria through 8th grade and then Elyria High School, where he served as Student Council Vice President and, at least according to him, contributed to the creation of the Scholastic “E” academic achievement award. A member of the EHS Class of 1967, he looked forward to this year’s 55th reunion activities. The friendships he made on the south side of Elyria lasted throughout his life—especially his fellow “Bad Lads”—who, as Jim put it, made up their own club when nobody else would allow them into theirs. Jim received his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1971, where he served as president of the local chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in 1970. His friends from this era nicknamed him “Lep,” short for Leprechaun. Jim graduated from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1977 and was admitted to the Ohio Bar that same year. He held hilarious memories and told ridiculous tales about commuting to classes in Cleveland, from Lorain County, with his fellow “night school” colleagues. Several of these colleagues remain prominent members of the local bar and therefore these stories will not be told here. Jim began his legal career with the local law firm West, West & Sherman. Shortly thereafter, he joined Savoy, Serazin & Deery, which later became the longstanding firm Serazin & Deery. Most recently, Jim was a member of Elyria firm Deery & Gibbons. Jim was a past parishioner of Saint Jude Church in Elyria, where he could be found on many a Labor Day weekend serving as the voice of the Parish BBQ and Raffle in the 1980s and early 1990s. He coached youth soccer for GESA and most recently for a girls’ team in Avon and baseball for Elyria Little League, and what he lacked in technical skill and knowledge, he more than made up for in heart, spirit, and enthusiastic bellowing from the sidelines. He played softball for a number of local teams with fantastic names such as New Florida Bar and the Northside Animals. You could always hear Jim Deery before you saw him, whether he was playing the game, watching the game, or recognizing and greeting you from across Ely Square. Throughout his life, Jim was a member of the local Knights of Columbus, Elks, Moose, Sons of the American Legion, and United Polish Club of Elyria. Jim was an active member of the Lorain County Bar Association throughout his legal career and in 2017 was honored with the Association’s “Member of the Year” Award. He took great delight in mentoring new lawyers and took an active role in the Lorain County Bar Association’s “Modest Means” program, which aims to increase access to legal representation in our local community. Jim loved Lake Erie (especially the Vermilion cottage he shared with Laura), the Ohio State Buckeyes, traveling, playing cards, VW Beetles and the music from the era of those VW Beetles, the City of Elyria, the law, his family (all manner of pets included), and helping people. Jim is survived by his wife of 13 years, Laura J. (nee Collins); daughter, Amanda (Chris Pyanowski) Deery of Elyria; sons, Michael (Katie) Deery and Timothy (Jessica) Deery, both of North Olmsted; step daughter, Jessica (Harrison) Cremeans of Medina; and grandchildren, Madeleine, Ethan, Grace, Emma, Chloe, Lyla and Hailey. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Clara Deery (nee Piwinski) and Laura’s parents, Ruth and Ed Collins, and his faithful dog, Cali. Friends will be received Wednesday, September 7, 2022 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Dicken Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 323 Middle Avenue, Elyria. A memorial service will be Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 11:00 am in the funeral home with Reverend Father Charles T. Diedrick and Reverend Joel Reichlin officiating. Private burial will be in Ridge Hill Memorial Park, Amherst Township. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friendship Animal Protective League, 8303 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, Ohio 44035.VisitationDicken Funeral Home and Cremation ServiceWednesday, September 07, 2022 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM 323 Middle Ave.Elyria, OH 44035 Memorial ServiceDicken Funeral Home and Cremation ServiceThursday, September 08, 2022 11:00 AM 323 Middle Ave.Elyria, OH 44035
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of James A. Deery, please visit our floral store.
Read More
What’s your fondest memory of James?
What’s a lesson you learned from James?
Share a story where James' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with James you’ll never forget.
How did James make you smile?