James R. Stack

James R. Stack, 88, died March 8, 2026, at The Clare residences in Chicago, Illinois. James Stack was born in 1937, to James and Ruth Nichols Stack in Pittsburgh. His older brother, William, had died in infancy, and his father died when Jim was 11.

Jim attended Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic High School and Duquesne University and was a devout Catholic for the rest of his life. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Duquesne and finishing his Army service, Jim headed to Chicago in the early ‘60s. His first job, in the public relations department of what was then Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital, allowed him to witness the hospital’s transformation to Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. It was at Rush that he began many lifelong friendships, and developed his love for travel, joining chartered plane trips to Europe offered through the institution.

He left Rush to become Director of Development at St. Joseph Hospital, before finishing his career as Development Director at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.

Although he was very successful at raising money for St. Joseph and St. Francis hospitals, his life was much larger than his career. He loved to cook and hosted many holiday dinners for friends. He enjoyed all kinds of music, subscribing to the Chicago symphony for more than 40 years, visiting jazz and blues clubs from Blues Chicago and the Jazz Showcase to, toward the end of his life, Winter’s Jazz Club.

A voracious reader, for years he subscribed to book shipments from a bookstore in Galway, which he discovered on a trip to Ireland. He was an avid traveler, often accompanied by his friend Ann Ahtelius, visiting countries from China to Argentina. Beginning with his 65th birthday, he hosted a dinner every five years in Paris for friends from the U.S. and Europe. He declined to celebrate his 85th in Paris—breathing problems prevented him from walking about the city, which he felt was essential to enjoying Paris.

On his mother’s visit to Chicago in 1984, Jim realized she could was no longer able to live alone, so he brought her to his small condo in Chicago, giving her his bedroom and sleeping on a Murphy bed in a closet-sized room, looking after her until her death in 1991.

After taking early retirement, Jim discovered that he had a talent for drawing and sculpture. He studied with portraitist Richard Halstead in Evanston and with sculptor Brigitte Brandeau in Paris, both of whom inspired and encouraged his talent, and became his friends.

Jim was a gentle soul, blessed with a ready wit, an imaginative intelligence and a gift for friendship. His laughter came easily and was contagious; he was always good company.

Before he turned 70, Jim signed up for an apartment at The Clare, then still in the planning stage. He wanted to be sure he could make decisions about his care should he suffer a stroke or other debilitating illness. He spent 17 years there, mostly in his sun-filled 25th floor apartment, and was able to die at the Clare, with a member of his longtime Clare “gang,” Sally Kinnamon, and his cousin Kim Lalley by his side.

Jim left instructions to be cremated and have his ashes buried alongside his parents and brother in Pittsburgh. His lifelong friends, Patrick and Terry Byrne, and several of their children, were able to attend the graveside service officiated by a Catholic priest, on April 10, 2026. He also requested a memorial Mass at the Clare, which was celebrated May 11, 2026, and attended by family and friends. May he rest in peace.