James Holloran Obituary (1941 – 2017)

Published by Legacy Remembers on January 3, 2018.

Jimmy Halloran, 76, of Hampton, passed away on December 24, 2017 at home with his devoted wife, Mary Ellen, at his side. Born on February 5, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York to Rita (Whitney) and Francis Halloran, Jimmy lived his life in his own unique way. His recovery from heroin addiction 50 years ago and subsequent successful pursuit of various careers demonstrated his resilience, courage and determination. After dropping out of high school at the age of 15, he later went back to school and earned a BA in Community Development from Rutgers University and an MA in Clinical Psychology from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco, California. After recovering in Daytop Village, New York, he remained active as a drug rehabilitation counselor and director of a residential treatment facility in Daytop, then moved to California and served in a similar capacity at the VA Hospital in Martinez, California. Jimmy felt the need to do something different, so he attended massage school and practiced massage therapy for several years. When he got bored of that, he decided to learn how to clean chimneys and started two chimney sweeping companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, which he owned and operated for 17 years. He was a past president of the California Chimney Sweep Guild. During this time he met and married Mary Ellen, who had moved from Connecticut to California to attend school. Jimmy was sidelined for several years due to hepatitis C, which led him to adopt a macrobiotic lifestyle that controlled his disease. He co-founded the Hepatitis C Global Foundation and took on the task of educating patients about the potential positive effects of macrobiotics on their disease. When he got back on his feet, he obtained a real estate broker's license in California and then Connecticut after he and Mary Ellen decided it was time to return to their East Coast roots. After retiring from real estate, Jimmy remained active in the town of Hampton, serving as a selectman and chairman of the board of the Hampton Gazette until his recent battle with esophageal cancer forced him to reluctantly step down. Jimmy's crowning achievement was the release of his memoir “It Ain't Over Till the Fat Lady Sings” in the spring of 2017, which he wrote in the hopes that it will help other addicts realize that they can turn their lives around and get around lead a fulfilling life. He will be deeply missed by those whose paths crossed as he passed through this life. In addition to his wife, Mary Ellen, Jimmy is survived by his son, Michael Iannolino (Laura) of Staten Island, NY; his granddaughter Nicole Sanders (De'Jean) of Fairbanks, AK; his sister Patricia Levine (Ronald) of New York, NY; two aunts and several nephews and cousins. A memorial service celebrating Jimmy's life will be held on Sunday, January 7, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at the Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson Street, Willimantic, CT. If you feel so inclined, you are welcome to share with those in attendance a memory of Jimmy that may be close to your heart. Please consider making a donation in Jimmy's name to the Samaritan Daytop Foundation, 138-02 Queens Blvd., Briarwood, NY 11435, Attention: Development Department. To register an online memorial guestbook, please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com