An exceptional man has passed on, but he will never leave us.

Jimmy died on May 26 after a long and painful illness. He was the son of Edward and Jessie Lute and the beloved partner of Darla Hesse for more than 55 years. He was the oldest brother of Ted and John and assigned himself the rank of “TopUnc” to Jessica, Tom and Giselle. Missing his steady presence in Toronto and at the cottage, will be all the Hesse's: Carl and Colleen, Guy and Marnie, Jordan and Jac (for whom he was “Mr. Perfect”), and Paula, Jody, Trista and Blair. He will be sorely missed by Margot Haldenby, Graham Lute and many others.

Jimmy was born in Toronto and his early life was formative and multicultural as he followed his parents to academic assignments in Jamaica and Trinidad before returning to Toronto. There he pursued a remarkable academic life at UofT before deciding it was not for him and turned, with Darla, to successful artisanal jewellery-making for the next 40 years. This career choice gave him and Darla much leisure time to travel, starting with a long European tour in 1966/7, and numerous trips to Italy, Spain, France and Turkey. His linguistic abilities were legend. He could ask a question in such a knowledgeable accent that the recipient would rattle off an incomprehensible answer. But within days he'd be having conversations while the rest of us would still be learning how to say one, two, three. His passion for art made him the best partner to tour churches and museums with, and his knowledge of Florentine art was exceptional. His love of music and good food, and his measured, informed conversation made for memorable and fun evenings. His interest in people meant that he was truly interested in their point of view, and he never deliberately trounced anyone’s opposing views. He was a wonderful companion. And he had an acute, dry humour that was a delight to all.

We deeply grieve his passing.

A memorial gathering to honour Jim’s life will be held when circumstances permit.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) or The David Suzuki Foundation. To facilitate this, donations can be made through the Mt. Pleasant Funeral Home website etouch.ca.