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§Jam es Jim ' Jefferies w as a g e n tle ' soul: brother I by Nathan Howes to oc ^ w lu j ------------------------------------------------------------------A well-known Oakville resident, who helped lead his family in supporting those with schizophrenia, has died, James (Jim) Edward Jefferies died Saturday, May 6 at the age of 70, due to complications resulting from a fall. Besides being an athlete and having a love of playing guitar, Jim was the inspiration for his dad, Bill, who, along with his wife, and Jim' s mom, Dorothy, launched support groups for those affected by schizophrenia -- originally Friends of Schizophrenics, which became the Oakville-based Schizophrenia Society of Ontario (SSO), the Canadian Schizophrenia Society (CSS) and the development of the World Schizophrenia Fellowship (WSF). Visitation will be held at St. Jude' s Anglican Church, 160 William St., from 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, with a service commencing at 2 p.m. and then an interment in St. Jude' s Garden of Remembrance. Jim' s brother, David, said his brother's life was "pivotal in motivating my parents and my family" to deal with schizophrenia head-on and shine a public spotlight on it. " Jim was a kind and a gende soul, a very friendly guy, who knew a lot of people in stores in town," said David. "We will celebrate his life. He was always a Oakville Beaver Staff ^ O " 0 -£ § ^ % c | 1 James Jefferies | subm itted part of our family. My parents made sure he was at all family functions." Jim graduated from Oakville Trafalgar High School (OTHS) and attended Ryerson University when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his first year. David said this was when the family' s history with schizophrenia came to the fore. "My father had been keeping to some degree, from us, that he had two brothers who also had schizophrenia. At that time, in the 1960s, early '70s, there was very limited drug treatment for schizophrenia," said David. "There was very little research; no organizations focused on schizophrenia. My parents spent many years (working) with a broad range of experimental treatments." Jim spent 25 years working at STRIDE (Supported Training & Rehabilitation in Diverse Environments) before his retirement five years ago. He also enjoyed spending time in Orillia and on the Lake of Bays, in addition to being a wellknown person around town, David said. "He was a fixture at STRIDE and known by a lot of people in town. After he moved to Wyndham Manor, each weekend he would be with my mother at her apartment," David recalled. "He was certainly a big help in travelling with her, delivering groceries, things like that." W hen the Friends of Schizophrenics was first launched, David' s father, Bill, who died in 2002, travelled the country to meet with families and open chapters of the group in every province in Canada, becoming the first president of the provincial organization, recounted a January 2002 Oakville B eaver article. Bill then went on to become president of the national organization and founder of the World Schizophrenia Fellowship, uniting countries in a common bond in their fight against schizophrenia. Before Bill came on the scene, families knew little about the biological disorder when it affected their loved one. "My father took early retirement in 1977, and had started two years before, meeting with parents at St. Jude' s church in Oakville to found the group," said David. " Jim was a primary motivator of that. My parents did the best they could for his treatment, but he was never able to successfully and fully reintegrate." David and Jim' s father also established the Bill Jefferies Endowment Fund for Schizophrenia Research. Although a cure has not yet been found, research into the causes of the disease has made strides over the past two decades. Jim is survived by his mother, Dorothy, brothers John (Sheryn) and David (Gail), his nephew, David, and nieces Kristin, Kathryn, Amy, Kim, Erica and Emily Ifpeople wish, donations to the Schizophrenia Society is appreciated by the family. A guestbook can also be signed at http:/Avww. koprivataylor.com/obituary/james-jeffries. 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