James 'Jim' Marshall Willmore passed away Sunday, October 6th while out riding on the Old Pro's 50-Mile Track, training for what he loves. He was born May 8th, 1956 to Betty and Jim Willmore in Madison Wisconsin and earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. Jim moved to San Diego California in 1984 where he began working in Telecommunications at Northern Telecom. After a brief career with AMCC, Jim spent the last 21 years as an innovative Product Engineer at Qualcomm where his co-workers inspired him to immerse himself in an active lifestyle of running and cycling.
Jim began running in his late 30's and embraced the culture wholeheartedly, completing 10 marathons by the age of 40. He supported the San Diego Rock 'N Roll Marathon since its inception and placed first in his age group repeatedly. In true Jim Willmore fashion, his enthusiasm grew to include Triathlons and motivating others to share his passions, even running his 35th marathon with his sister, Tracy Punsel, at the Madison Mad City Marathon. During his athletic career he qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon on three occasions, including the 100th anniversary in 1996 where he met his wife Lorraine 'Lori' Willmore through extraordinary circumstances of fate.
Jim and Lori lived life with few boundaries, and fully in the present. Their insatiable curiosity led them on numerous adventures throughout the United States and Europe, enjoying every sip and morsel along the way. Not only did Jim express enthusiasm for travel, but he was an avid history buff with a thirst for continuous knowledge that he animatedly shared with all. Jim's zest for life was enriched by his insurmountable love for his family.
Jim expressed a great sense of pride and joy in his only son, Travis, and treasured the bond they shared. Travis and his wife Angie have two beautiful children, to whom Jim delighted in being a doting grandfather. Anyone who knew Jim, knew that he was not just any father, son, husband, or grandfather, but someone who poured love and positive energy into every aspect of his life, as well as ours.
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
-Steve Prefontaine
A charitable donation can be made in Jim's honor to one of his favorite historical sites, USS Midway.
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