James Jay Casanova 73, of Akron, O h – a loving f a t he r , son, bro t he r , f riend, Law En f orcement Of ficer and shining s t ar t o all who crossed pa t hs wi t h him, passed away on August 30, 2023 in F lorida, surrounded by his loving f amil y .

James, a f f ec t ionally known t o many as Jimmy or Jim, was born on June 2, 1950 in Kenmore O h, t o James & Eva Lou Casanova, bo t h deceased.

A ft er gradua t ion f rom Kenmore High School, he a tt ended T he Universi t y of Akron, where he gradua t ed wi t h a degree in Educa t ion. He spent over 35 remarkable years on t he Akron Police Depar t men t . He enjoyed many f ace t s during his career including Pa t rol, T raining Bureau as a driving and firearms ins t ruc t o r , squad leader f or t he Academy and t he De t ec t ive Bureau as a missing persons' o f fice r . His gen t le na t ure and his love and respect f or humani t y made him a great f riend, o f fice r , par t ner and acquain t ance t o t he many who had t he pleasure of knowing him.

Jim had a special love of a t hle t ics during his high school and college days on t he baske t ball court and t rack and field t eam and even accomplished t he cove t ed hole-in-one a ft er moving t o T he V illages, F l. He had t he abili t y t o t ry a spor t/ game once and ins t an t ly pick it up as if he'd been doing it f or years. His t alent and love of t hese spor t s resul t ed in se tt ing and main t aining several records. He was also very ac t ive during annual Police O lympic mee t s compe t ing in Shot Pu t , Javelin and Bowling.

I t gave him great joy t o wa t ch his children ' s involvement and success in spor t s. He was able t o share his passion f or a t hle t ics as he encouraged and coached t hem in socce r , t rack, baske t ball and so ft ball.

Jim leaves behind his wi f e, Debbie of 46 years, his children Chris t y Casanova Clark (Jack) of Medina, O h. and G regory Casanova (Cassie) of Columbus, O h. Sis t er Billie F erguson (Dave), 5 grandchildren; Jack, W es t en, Brooklyn, T a t um and G rad y . Nephew V ic t or F erguson and family (Linda Van and Mac) and many cousins.

Celebra t ion of Li f e Services will be held in O hio at t he FO P Lodge 7 W ol t er Park on F rida y , O c t ober 27 f rom 3 : 00 – 6 : 00 and in T he V illages, F l. at Communi t y Me t hodist Church, F rui t land Park, on October 16 f rom 10 : 00 – 1 : 00.

I n Lieu of flowers, loving dona t ions can be made t o one of t he many organiza t ions who enriched Jim ' s li f e:

— F ra t ernal O rder of Police Lodge 7, 2610 Ley Drive, Akron, O h 44319

—Amedisys F ounda t ion, Compassiona t e Care Hospice, 3854 American Way

Sui t e A, Ba t on Rouge, La 70816

—Alzheimers F ounda t ion, 225 N. Michigan A venue, F loor 17, Chicago, I l 60601

I t is wi t h such apprecia t ion, t he f amily wishes t o t hank t he many dedica t ed f amil y , f riends, clerg y , acquain t ances, neighbors, colleagues and caring people who o f f ered prayers, medical and t ender care. Y ou meant t he world t o Jim and his f amily and your con t inued prayers have o f f ered such com f or t . Jim led an ex t raordinary li f e because of t his love. Y our kindness, compassion and love during t his difficult t ime will f orever be remembered.