James L. Ives

James L. Ives passed away on, April 4, 2026 at the age of 74.

He was predeceased by his parents Robert Arthur Ives and Marie Alice Ives (nee. Davis).

He is survived by his daughters, Laura (Nathan) Malone, Ruth A. Ives, and Sarah (Joshua) McGhee; his partner of 14 years, Darleene Symonds; siblings, Bonita (Jan) Stein (Ives) and David (Jackie) Ives; grandchildren, Adielle, Liam, and Caden; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He is also survived by the mother of his children, Barbara Tucker.

Services will be held on Saturday, May 16th at Eden Alliance Church located at 1275 Spencerport Road. Calling hours will begin at 10:00, with a memorial service following at 11:00.

Family Life: Jim was born March 26, 1952 in Rochester, New York. He grew up in North Chili, with an older sister and younger brother. He had a pleasant childhood and upbringing, spending much time at his grandparents’ farm in Wayne County and many summers at his grandparents' cottage on the St. Lawerence River. Later, summers were spent at a family cottage in Canada where he formed life-long memories. Jim graduated from Churchville Chili in 1970 and had stayed in touch with many of his classmates, a group of whom still meet monthly.

He was married to Barbara Jean (Bentley) Ives from 1982 to 2004, during which time they raised three daughters together.

Jim especially loved family reunions and connecting with family members.

Jim met Darleene Symonds in 2012, and he and Darleene Symonds were partners for 14 years. Darleene visited Jim in the hospital almost every day after he found out he had cancer and cared for him these last six months in her home.

Jim enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, passing on his love of the water and fishing, ice cream and Dunkin' Donuts.

Work: Jim loved interacting with people and exploring his interests. His work career included working as a computer operator at Kodak, IBM, Pitney Bowes, as well as pursuing numerous business opportunities.

Hobbies, interests: Boats, fishing and flying were three of his loves. He owned a sailboat, a trawler, many small boats and built a woodstrip canoe. He singlehandedly brought the trawler he was renovating in Maryland up the coast and through the Erie Canal to Sodus, NY and had more plans to travel waters of the world. Jim owned his own Cessna plane, managed an airport, and worked as a flight instructor. He was constantly analyzing the clouds and informing those within earshot if it was a good day for flying or boating. Jim enjoyed many fishing trips throughout his life and delighted in passing on his knowledge of fish and lures to his grandchildren. Jim was also known for working on various woodworking projects.

He is most remembered as a relentless optimist with a generous heart who was always pulling other people into his adventures.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to fund a Student of the Month Scholarship at Lima Christian School to acknowledge outstanding qualities in students with a small financial gift towards the recipient's tuition. Please send donations to Lima Christian School (1574 Rochester St., Lima, NY 14485) with a memo "For Jim Ives Scholarship."