Jim Jollie, 55, of New Smyrna, went to be with the Lord on January 23 ^rd , 2021.

Celebration of Life will be held at 11 am on Saturday, May 8 ^th at Edgewater Alliance Church. Reception will immediately follow the service.

Jim Jollie was born in Dayton Ohio to Alpha and James Jollie in May 1965. He graduated from Mainland High School. He married April Haydon in Daytona Beach in April 1989. He graduated from Capella University. He worked as program manager for Fire Science at Seminole State College for 9 years after his retirement from Edgewater Fire Rescue Department. He was a U.S. Army Flight Medic who served in Desert Storm. He received an Endowed Teaching Chair for Faculty Excellence in 2018-19.

Jim is preceded in death by his father, James Jollie, mother Alpha Basford, stepfather Donald Basford and cousin, Mark McCurry.

Jim is survived by his wife, April, son Matthew and daughter in law Elsie, son Brad, brother Billy Jollie, sister Sherry Blaylock, sister Allison Custead, a granddaughter on the way and many beloved aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family of Jim wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Shellie Lewis, Public Safety Department at Seminole State College, Edgewater Fire Rescue, countless Firefighters across Central Florida, and Edgewater Alliance Church Members who have loved us well.

Jim Jollie was known to his students as Chief Jollie. He was a great mentor, instructor, firefighter, and paramedic. Chief Jollie's students leave his class "seeking more, demanding to search what remains to be found".  He "ensured that each course he taught was well structured and designed to support student learning". Students commented that Chief Jollie "had an excellent curriculum and structure set up for the fire standards program".

Chief Jollie often saw himself in the students he taught and served. He was "very committed to promoting student success" and "always sought to improve". He not only recognized the need of a solid foundation, but also the importance of providing students much needed guidance and direction for their future careers. He was energetic and had excellent camaraderie with students in the classroom. They described his classes as "dynamic and interactive" and him as well prepared, organized, and personable.

Colleagues described Jim as "truly a great instructor, program manager, mentor and friend" who has "taken our Fire Safety program above and beyond all expectations".

As much as he loved his fire service career, he loved fishing and shared his passion with many colleagues who became close family friends.

Jim was born in Dayton, Ohio and moved to Daytona Beach area when he was five years old. So, he considered himself a true Floridian. He began as a volunteer firefighter at Turnbull. Jim worked with Daytona Beach Fire Department for many years prior to joining the U.S. Army as a Flight Medic.  He served at Fort Carson in Colorado and in Desert Storm. After his military service he returned to the Daytona Beach Fire department.

After many years, he joined the City of Edgewater Fire Rescue Department and worked his way through the ranks. He was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the department's training program. He mentored scores of new paramedics through the years and was well renowned for his quick calculations of pediatric drug doses. Jim would bust everyone's chops if they didn't know their pediatric drug dosages. Every single paramedic from Edgewater Rescue to this day is asked by the Medical Director if they know their pediatric drug dosages like Jim.

Upon his retirement as Lieutenant/Paramedic from the Fire Department Jim pursued his master's degree and began teaching Fire Science courses for Seminole State College.  Before long, Jim was asked to become Program Manager and became known as Chief Jollie.

Jim was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 and miraculously was restored to full health for a few years.  During that time, he continued to mentor, design a new SSC fire truck, and touch all our lives with his good-natured funny banter. In 2020 brain inflammation was a battle, but Covid 19 was the final straw that stole Jim from us all.  His larger than life personality will not be forgotten and scores of his students will carry on his tradition.

When Jim wasn't working, he was a fun loving husband, father and friend to many beloved fishing buddies.  Jim was a talented fisherman and almost never got skunked.  He had an eye to watch for a swirl of water, tail fin, or just knew where to cast to land a large snook or redfish. He was just as adept at fishing offshore and won many tournaments with a Wahoo, Sailfish, or Dolphin.

Jim did not wish for us to be sad. He encourages us to celebrate his life with friends. One of his favorite places to hang out was at the Deck Down Under where he loved to grab a fish sandwich and a cold beer.

If you would like to ensure Jim's legacy of helping others to continue their education in Fire Science at Seminole State College, consider donating to the Jim Jollie Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Fire Science. Your gift will help the next generation of fire fighters in honor of such a dedicated and caring man. Please visit donor page in lieu of flowers http://weblink.donorperfect.com/JimJollie