| Graduation Year | Class of 1954 |
| Date of Birth | Apr 08, 1936 |
| Date of Passing | Jun 09, 2026 |
| About | The Reverend James Hardy Caldwell passed away on June 9, 2026. He was an Episcopalian priest, father to Anna and Abby, historian of all sorts, opera lover, viola player, Greek saganaki cheese connoisseur, and a rebel always in search of a cause. James was born on April 8, 1936, to William Wendall and Josephine Hardy Caldwell and was the youngest sibling to his sister Jeanne (Olson) and brother Bill. He started and ended his life’s journey near his childhood home on the 17th hole of the public golf course in Evanston, Illinois. Rebellion started at an early age, but by high school, James became a notable Wildkit at Evanston Township High School. There, he played the viola in the orchestra, was on the varsity basketball team, and was the student body president for the class of 1954. He would go on to choose Cornell University and join the graduating class of 1958 as a Sigma Chi member. After college, James went to North Dakota, where his rural sales calls led him to pursue a lifelong hobby of flying single-engine Cessnas. During this chapter, the course of his life changed to a religious path with a focus on social causes. In 1963, he married Marsha Opdycke, who followed him to Virginia Theological Seminary to get his Master of Divinity and then to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Wisconsin. Their first daughter, Anna Loveridge, was born in 1966, and Abigail Lewis was born a year later. James lived among, and was a champion for, the poor, the underserved, the sick, and the elderly, and spread ‘the good word’ to many. He was involved in protests against injustices his entire adult life that created unrest and finally found a home as an interim supply priest in parishes in the Chicagoland area and Hawaii from 1996 to 2024. He was a card-carrying Cubs fan, went to many Wildcat basketball games, and the Bears were his team. His favorite hobby was sailing on Lake Michigan. James had battle scars from a life lived on the edge but passed away peacefully near the same greens around where he sleepwalked as a child, honed his remarkable gift of finding four-leaf clovers, and played as a teen. “Don't have any fun!” was his goodbye to kids, “Godspeed,” he used for adults. The many people he touched, with all his kindness and antics, will remember both. James is survived by his daughters, Anna (William) Payne and Abigail (Patrick) Walsh; his grandchildren, Stella and Declan Payne, and Eliza and Jack Walsh; and nieces and nephews across the country. A memorial service will be held at St. David’s Church in Northfield, Illinois at 3:00 p.m., on August 12, 2026, presided over by the Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark and Mother Dawn Stary of St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church. Donations in James Caldwell’s name are welcomed to be made to St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church in Antioch, Illinois and/or to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). |
