Birth date: Mar 25, 1949 Death date: Nov 5, 2020
James Merling Jr November 5, 2020 Miami, Florida - James fought a long battle with ALS, during which he remained amazingly upbeat and positive. His cherished niece Elizabeth Shields was at his side at the time of his death. He is Read Obituary
James aka Chip and I shared a special friendship that spanned 65 years. He was our Best Man in 1970 and always continued to track our birthdays and anniversaries and never failed to call on those special days and sing to us. He also was extremely interested in our children, grandchildren, and my sister and brothers. Even though we only saw each other once a year,we continued to stay in touch on a regular basis. He was a very special friend and we are going to miss him.
James/Chip made me very happy when he came to my wedding in New Hampshire over Labor Day Weekend 2018. He was a huge help to us then as always, escorting those who needed transportation to and from the airport, hotels, and our home.
When I last saw him on a visit to The Palaces in November 2019, he was funny, charming and eager to do as much "tour guiding" around Miami as he possibly could given his condition. He dear friend Peg Walz and I spent two and a half days with Chip. I am so happy we were able to make the trip from New York City.
