Jimmie Rocco Priolo Jr
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Jimmie Rocco Priolo, Jr, AKA – Pri (many of his friends called him Pri), 63, born April 20, 1949 in Amarillo, TX , passed away September 23, 2012 in Lee’s Summit, MO.
A celebration of his life will be held this Thursday, September 27, 2012 from 7-8 PM at:
Roger T. Sermon Community Center
201 N. Dodgion Avenue, Independence, MO 64050
(816) 325-7370
There will also be a Memorial Jam for him this Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 5 PM at RG’s: 9100 E 35th St South, Independence, Missouri 64052
Jimmie has lived in Raytown for the past 16 years and always lived in the KCMO area his entire life. He is preceded in death by: his mother , Ann (Spinello) Priolo; sister, Darlene Salazar and brother, Dale Dalton. Survivors include: wife, Renee VanZandt – Priolo; son, Michael P. Priolo of Kansas City and sister, Judy Reyes.
Jimmie Rocco Priolo, Jr. AKA Big Pri, Little Jimmie Pri, James or Jim was a lifelong resident of the KCMO area. He was a husband, father, friend, artist, writer, musician, collectibles dealer and baseball fanatic.
Jimmie played with various bands in the KC area for more than 40 years and joined his first band in his teens. He had a true appreciation for all music genres but he was most passionate about funk jazz, traditional jazz and in more recent years, Gypsy Swing. Jim played bass guitar for many bands around town which included: The Amelia Earhart Memorial Flying Band, Appletree, Spare Change, Nervous Rex, Interface, The House Cats, Charlie and the Stingrays and most recently, Neon Blue.
Jimmie’s accomplishments include two self-published CD’s – Man on His Back and Images of 39th Street. His also self-published a sci-fi novel entitled, The Journal of Renaldo Salazar.
Jim was also known for being a savvy baseball card and collectibles dealer and maintained a small baseball card shop for a short time.
Jimmie was a passionate man. If he took an interest in any subject matter, he soon became an expert. He was a life long baseball fan and knew the game inside out. In recent years, Jim had taken on the project of visiting every major and minor league park in the country and shortly before his death, he had just made a trip to Arizona to see the Diamondbacks and Giants. Jim had only seven major league parks to check off his list. Jim always thought baseball was a microcosm of life and always reflected the here and now.
Jimmie was known for his wit, creativity, his ability to make almost anyone laugh, intelligence, and passion for always searching for the truth. He lived life on his terms and even though he was little man, he had a huge spirit and loved life. He loved his family and had many lifelong friends. His humor and his passion will be missed by all who knew him.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to:
RBI: Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities which is affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club of America.
http://www.bgca.org/whatwedo/SportsFitnessRecreation/Pages/RBI.aspx
Visits: 8
Uncle Jimmie was a great guy. His stories of life and family were ones to treasure. He was a preserver of memories and he will always be in our kindest ones.
Renee, I am sorry for the loss of your husband. I will pray for comfort and peace for you and your family in the coming days.
Uncle Jimmy will be very missed by all who got to know & love him. RIP!
And also preceded by his sister Judy Reyes and kids. I loved my uncle. And we were blessed to be a part off his life.
I will Miss Rocco.. He and I had a Passion For Funk and R&b.He being a bass player and I a drummer… We would love to chat about the cool funk bands that we we liked and then have the opportunity to play together and play the grooves. But mostly we had a time to exchange wit and quick humor which he enjoyed as he made fun of my Boston accent…You will be missed my friend…
Pri will always be in my heart. He made us laugh, sing and dance. You will be missed my friend.
Uncle Jimmie was my favorite uncle. I didn’t have any uncles on my side of the family, but Uncle Jimmie made up for that. I will miss him greatly.
I am very sad to read about my Unlce’s passing. Living out of town for so many years, we had not been the closest. But, I do know- I will always remember him fondly.
He was my father’s brother, who passed away in 2/08. I remember, him the most always at Thanksgiving Dinner and the two brothers and my Aunt Darlene always playing around together. They acted like kids, but that was ok. Siblings are suppose to do that.
That’s what made it so funny. I really enjoyed when he came out to California to visit us with his wife Renee. Renee, may God bring you comfort at this time. My Uncle is probably soo happy meeting up with his mother, my dad and aunt Darlene. They are rejoicing! I guess, it was meant to be for us to read the KC obituary, since our Aunt Margaret passed away also on 09/22/12. Or else, I would have never known. Renee, take care and
hold each day with all the memories forever.
His niece,
Pam Dalton
Pri’s passing is so hard to accept. He was my cousin, but really so much more to me. We shared a passion for music, and we shared a lot of dreams, and ambitions growing up together. Playing in bands together in our younger days were some of the best times of my life. He will always have a special place in my heart, and my music. I’ll miss his smile, and being able to share things with him – only he and I could share that comes from knowing him as a soul-mate.
So tonight I had and idea to try and look up my old friend, Jimmy Pri, and discover he passed away two years ago. I’m so saddened by this news.
Pri and I were in the band “Spare Change” together. I met him thru my ex-husband, also a local musician. He sang like an angel, had the smile of a leprechaun, and always kept me laughing.
I wish I’d known sooner of his passing, but that’s what happens when life separates old friends.
Late condolences to his family.