Cecilia Marie James

Cecilia Marie James, age 87, of Las Vegas, Nevada passed away on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Born Cecilia Marie MacMahon in Chicago, Illinois, to Patrick James MacMahon and Mary Margaret MacMahon in 1936, she lived her life as a faithful daughter of the Catholic Church, a devoted mother to her son Christopher, and a fiercely independent woman.

The last child of a large family, Cecilia learned early that doing it herself almost always resulted in it being done better and faster. She accepted help but rarely asked for it.

Throughout her life in Illinois, Idaho, and Nevada, Cecilia volunteered in many faith, civic, and community-based organizations. Her calling cards were her hard work, reliability, and dedication to ensuring everyone received their fair share.

As the youngest aunt in her large family - she was the “go-to” babysitter for her brothers and sisters. Aunt Ceci remains a cherished name for her by her many, many nieces and nephews to this day. As the decades passed, Cecilia remained involved in many of their lives - she was particularly close to her nephew, Patrick, and nieces Corky and Patty Jo. Despite a divorce and the early passing of her son’s father, Cecilia was purposeful and loving in her efforts to keep Christopher connected to the in-law side of the family, as she valued the importance of those relationships.

Cecilia supported herself and her son by working full time, typically in an office setting; in many industries, including the railroad, construction, schools, and more. She was an early convert to using first “punch card” machines, then computers - in her duties. Cecilia was fascinated by the architecture of nature and man and wasn’t afraid to travel on her own to enjoy it. And though she never ventured to her family home in Ireland, she loved learning about it, reading and hearing about it, and watching movies about it. Cecilia also had a soft spot for Louis L’Amour and a deep love of John Wayne.

In retirement, Cecilia enjoyed keeping her home and garden filled with knick-knacks and oddly charming items - especially shovel heads, pots and barrels, and small animal figures, including frogs and butterflies. Celebrating her birthdays meant a trip to the Grand Canyon, getting a butterfly tattoo, and taking a hot air balloon tour over Las Vegas. Her favorite holiday was Christmas. Cecilia enjoyed living anywhere she could at least see the mountains and where the climate allowed for all four seasons. She enjoyed listening to music like Henry Mancini, Chuck Mangione, and more. She liked doing puzzles on her card table and word searches on her iPad mini. She had a sweet tooth, took a sip of Bailey’s on St. Patrick’s Day, and didn’t have much use for her dishwasher.

In proper Irish goodbye fashion, her last full day on Earth, she spent time with her son on his 60th birthday, talking about Spring snow in Las Vegas and the Cubs winning their ballgame. She passed the following day on her own terms. Cecilia now joins her parents and her brothers and sisters (Bernard Thomas, Roseanne, Mary Margaret, James Eugene, and Patrick James Jr.) in Heaven; she is survived by her son, Christopher; his daughter, Samantha Marie; and great-grandson, Grant Lee; daughter-in-law Roxanne; her daughters: Meagan, Amanda, and Christina; and great-grandchildren: Cayson, Jamison, Addison, Aaron, Zachary, and Ava.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts - please consider a donation to either of these organizations close to her heart:

St. Viator Catholic Community Las Vegas Humane Society

2461 E. Flamingo Road 3395 S. Jones Blvd. #454

Las Vegas, NV, 89121 Las Vegas, NV, 89146