Jim Simkin was born in 1914 to Samuel and Fanny Simkin (née Breslovsky) while the family lived and farmed in Pine Ridge, Manitoba. Jim's parents had come to Manitoba from Russia in 1908, originally settling in Winnipeg and then arriving on the farm in 1913.

With his brothers Israel (better known as "Blackie"), Saul, and Abe; and his sisters, Jen (Cohen) and Clara (Erlichman), Jim was raised in a loving, hard-working family, deeply passionate about Jewish life. After about 15 years of farming, the family moved into Winnipeg in 1928 and Samuel launched Simkin's Fuel from the family home on Stella Avenue.

Jim was introduced to Lil Isenstein by his sister Clara and Lil's sister Sara Donin, who were good friends. Lil came originally from Calgary and had been living in Saskatoon. She had previously been married, but her husband died while daughter Sharron was an infant. Lil and Jim married in 1952, and Lil and Sharron moved to Vancouver where Jim owned and operated a drycleaning business. It was as if Jim married Lil AND Sharron. Jim adopted Sharron and became an instant "Dad" — the three of them made a perfect match with Sharron celebrating at their wedding. The family became even more complete when Simon came along.

Sharron is married to Joel Dudeck and they have two children (Francie and Lauren); Simon is married to Cynthia Hiebert-Simkin and they have four children (Sharla, Sarey, Nathan, and Jenna).

After Simon was born, Samuel and Fanny visited Vancouver and persuaded Jim to come back to Winnipeg and join his brothers in running the family business. Lil and Jim returned to Winnipeg in 1954 as the Simkin brothers started to assume more responsibility in the family business. Samuel was getting older and the business was diversifying. The seed planted as Simkin's Fuel had grown into BACM Industries, a large heavy-construction company that had 10,000 employees at its peak.

Each of the four brothers brought his own unique skill set to the business. Jim was most active on the very complex equipment side of the business. He also had a great deal of contact with the front-line workers who referred to him privately as "Mighty Mouse." He was small in stature and quiet in demeanour, but could become larger than life when circumstances dictated. He had a tough — but fair — approach to management. He was, in fact, quite the softie.

Like many of the Simkin siblings, Jim and Lil built a home on Seven Oaks Place where Sharron and Simon grew up surrounded by extended family. The Simkins were renowned for their family gatherings for Jewish holidays and Sunday dinners. Jim was a loving husband and father. The family enjoyed many fun times together, especially many car trips to Calgary to visit Lil's family.

Jim was a spiritual man; Jewish life was very important to him. He and Lil kept a kosher home and Jim attended shul often. He also exemplified the values of community service he learned from his parents, and passed on to his children. He was a good role model. Jim was active on the boards of the Sharon Home, Rosh Pina Synagogue, the Rotary Club, and Jewish Child and Family Service, and was an active volunteer with Peretz School and Talmud Torah. He was also a devoted son, visiting his mother Fanny daily when she was in the Sharon Home.

He also loved to spend summers at Falcon Lake. There he would relax, read, and spend time with his family — including his grandchildren in later years — and socialize with his many friends. He loved to drive his boat on warm summer days as much as he enjoyed sitting by a fire on rainy days and cool evenings.

Jim travelled around the world with Lil and with friends, but loved his time at Falcon Lake best of all.

In 1973, the Simkins sold BACM to Genstar. Jim and Lil decided to move to Palm Springs, where they ultimately lived for 28 years. Jim wasn't one to lean back and simply enjoy the relaxation of a quiet retirement. He loved to keep busy.

Jim discovered that the Cathedral Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs was facing financial difficulty. So, he and his brothers developed the site with condominiums and — like in Winnipeg — lived side by side on a street they named Seven Oaks Place. Aside from the work involved in this new Simkin business venture, Jim also organized the "Winnipeg Open" golf tournament. (He was an enthusiastic golfer and even had a hole-in-one!)

Jim Simkin passed away in 1997. He was a strong presence, but a modest, quiet man. He was passionate about the well-being of the Jewish community and the celebration of Jewish life. He would have been honoured to be remembered in the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba's Endowment Book of Life for it reflects those things that mattered to Jim.

2012