James David Siegfried, 72, died June 12, 2018, at his home in Collierville, Tennessee. Born May 16, 1946, in Keokuk, Iowa, to Alvin and Frances James Siegfried, Jim was raised in Carthage, Illinois, and graduated from Carthage Central High School in 1964. He went on to play basketball and earn a degree in business and economics at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was at MacMurray that he met Cynthia Zahm. The two married June 15, 1968, and moved to Lacon, Illinois, where Jim taught fifth grade and coached the boys basketball team at Mid-County Junior High School. Following the birth of the couple's first two daughters, in 1973 Jim began his career as a stockbroker at Hornblower & Weeks in Peoria, Illinois. In 1981, Jim moved his family of five to Memphis, Tennessee, after accepting an offer to manage the Memphis office of Shearson/American Express. Through numerous mergers and acquisitions, Jim remained with the same company for 30 years until he was forced into early retirement in 2003 after being diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Jim's early retirement allowed him to return to his first love-coaching basketball. He served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Collierville (Tennessee) High School and Briarcrest Christian High School boys' basketball programs. He also served on Leadership Board and as chaplain of the Memphis Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Despite Jim's nine cancer recurrences over the final16 years of his life, he and Cyndi turned his disease into a platform to minister to others-and their caregivers-facing a life-threatening illness. A member of Central Church in Collierville, Jim was preceded in death by his father, Alvin David Siegfried, and his grandparents, Harry and Ola Strong James, and Ernest and Opal Hoover Siegfried. Jim is survived by his wife of 50 years, Cynthia Zahm Siegfried, of Collierville; mother, Frances James Siegfried, of Carthage, Illinois; sister, Susan Joy Siegfried Curtis of Kewanee, Illinois; daughters Dr. Nicole Joy Siegfried (Dr. Chebon Porter) of Hoover, Alabama; Tara Noelle Peeper (Cade) of Collierville; Ashleigh Margaret Williams (Chris) of Germantown, Tennessee; grandsons Craig Taylor and James Hunter Mason, and James Cade and William Corbin Peeper; granddaughters Cynthia Quinn Peeper, and Margaret Gallien and Cynthia Campbell Williams; niece, Cicely Joy Wadsager (Jim); and nephew, Daniel James Curtis (Cindy). The family wishes to thank the many physicians who cared for Jim during his illness, many of whom became friends with Jim and Cyndi, including: Dr. Adan Rios; Dr. Al Weir; Dr. Stephen Besch; Dr. Gary Trew; Dr. Nitin Khosla; Dr. Greg Mullinax; Dr. Stephen Threlkeld; and Dr. E. Todd Robbins. Visitation will take place at noon on Thursday, June 14, at Central Church in Collierville, Tennessee, followed by funeral services at 2 p.m. A graveside service will follow at Magnolia Cemetery in Collierville. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jim's memory to the Memphis Fellowship of Christian Athletes, P.O. Box 171375, Memphis, TN 38187.
