JAMES W. “BIG JIM” DARBY

JAMES W. “BIG JIM” DARBY of Sun City West, AZ, formerly of Danville, IL died November 18, 2024 at the age of 86. He began his career as a grave digger at Gethsemane Cemetery in Detroit, MI. After relocating to Danville, IL, Big Jim and his brother, Dave launched Greenwood Plastics, which rebranded as Trigard and is now managed by fourth generations of Darby’s. In the 1980s, he spearheaded efforts in Illinois to pass legislation allowing cemeteries to operate funeral homes, leading to the opening of Sunset Funeral Home in Danville in 1984 and Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel in Sun City West in 1989. Big Jim was an honoree of the ICCFA Lasting Impact Award, which recognized his enduring contributions to the funeral industry at a local and national level.