DICARLO, JAMES “JIM”

FRIENDS AND FAMILY: You are invited to join the family of James DiCarlo at St. Ann’s Church (2901 Atlantic Avenue, Wildwood, New Jersey) for visitation at 10:00 a.m. and Mass at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 25, 2022.“There is a road, no simple highway, between the dawn and the dark of the night.”With broken hearts, we surrendered our beloved James DiCarlo to God on November 18th after a several year health journey wherein he was blessed with the ultimate gift of a lung transplant. He lost a long, unwinnable battle with COVID complications post-transplant. Jimmy, one of the funniest, smartest, and quietly caring men who ever lived, was husband to the love of his life, Noelle Jacquelin, with whom he shared his life since 2007 and a deep friendship for many years prior. Jim was the beloved and much adored step-father of Thomas Hutchison, Kayla Enders (nee Hutchison), Roan Jacquelin, and Joseph Jacquelin who filled him laughter, love, and pride. How he loved his children! Jimmy also had five young grandchildren. He loved being a dad, grandfather, and uncle. He wanted to particularly thank his nieces, Lydia and Michaela Buckwalter, for helping to take such good care of him. All his life, children, and most adults, sought Jim out to hear his wry witticisms and amazing stories of great California Rincon surf adventures (usually with a tall tale or two thrown in). Although he was long-time resident of Cape May, New Jersey, he never forgot his roots in southwest Philadelphia. Jim is also survived by his cherished sister, Linda Chaga (nee DiCarlo), her husband Joseph, and their daughter, Sarah Crispin (nee Chaga) and family. He loved his niece Sarah so and was extremely proud of all of her accomplishments. Jimmy left indelible marks upon the lives of thousands of young people as he served as a teacher, school principal, and coach for decades in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He was a highly regarded professional who knew how to make colleagues and kids laugh uncontrollably. John Wooden once said, “A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.” As an incredibly revered basketball coach, Jim altered the personal and academic trajectories of his players in extremely positive ways. He was passionate about basketball, surfing, and his family (not always in that order, he would insist!), and he has left behind a tremendous amount of amazing memories woven into all of the lives he touched. His wife and children would like to thank all of the many friends and family members who showed enormous kindness and generosity of time and care during Jim’s illness, particularly Tom and Kathy Melchiorre, Maggie and Dave Buckwalter, Lisa Roselli, and Joe Rotunda. He deeply appreciated everyone’s love. With great sorrow, it is “so long for now” to Coach. There will never be a cooler man rolling into Heaven with his longboard ready, the Grateful Dead blasting, and the VW bus packed for fun.