Please express your thoughts, feelings and memories here to share with those who Loved Gambler Jim
I had the opportunity to meet with Jim and play live several times, We roomed together, ate together, laughed together, and shared the same sorrows and fears as the war broke out between USA and Afghanistan this past October. Jim Planned to come out next summer/early fall to see The Whales and do some fishing. I'm Blessed with his Memories. ki7yu
u will be saddly missed gambler i send my condolences to ur family. caspergm from ptlc
I have had the repeated pleasure of seeing Jim in the lobbies and read his words. I would always be happy when I saw him come in because I knew he would have a song or words to touch us all. GamblerJim will be missed by all at Iplay. I wish this was poetic as something he would have said but know that it comes from the heart. Jim, miss you and loved you....opiumscent
Gambler Jim, has been a long time friend, I first met him, at the vegas tourney 2 yrs ago.. my first impression of him was,, (he must know his stuff), i was intemidated....lol... only reniged 3 times in one of the games I played.. then I got to know him on a more personal level. at the Washington State Tourney this past Sept. This man, is the perfect Gentleman. Loving Caring and always giving, I have this picture, of a little bird on his head, and his smile, was so vibrant. That weekend in washington, will be one I will never forget, we all had so much fun. He was my roommate at the PA Tourney, and if it wasnt' for him, I wouldnt' have stayed,, because I was ready to leave, when my pard did not show up. and, he was a Perfect Gentleman. we shared laughs and tears, he became my confidant.. Jim I will miss you terriably, Now go play the game you love, with the angels, we all need another Guardian Angel to look over us. I love you Jim, GodBless
A kind person who was always friendly and welcoming. Will miss you, mtngirl
im in shock..he was a pleasure to be with and a good friend..he is already missed..we shared some good moments as he stayed here after the first washington tourney...we are all blessed to have made his aquaitance...as always...gary..olehippy
Jim,old buddy, you now have the best pard in the world to play with in Lexxy. I miss you both You were two of the best players in Igames and Iplay Bob
One of the best Gentlemen I have ever met and I loved him as the gr8 man he was My heart is heavy at this time of year for his loved ones :(( Momh
I feel very honored to have known Gambler Jim and honored that he shared some of his poetry with me. He was a very special man and a very good Pinochle Player who always gave it his best, but yet always said it's just a game. He seemed to always bring out the best in people. He will be truly missed ... but it's nice knowing that Lexxy, PSG44 and Silver Fox have another friend at their Pinochle Table to share their good times with. My thoughts and prayers are with Jim's family and loved ones... We will all miss you Jim ... cherylle
My heart goes out to his family. I had the opportunity to meet Jim a couple of times at live pinochle tournaments. He was THE perfect gentleman. We had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. He is going to be sadly missed by all.
I first met Jim 2 years ago at PA live....He was a true gentleman and a really nice guy.....Jim may God watch over you and may u be in peace....you always made me smile.....You will be miss...Debh
nice player a loss to iplay
Mr. Gentleman Jim - you made competition at live tourneys tough but most of all you were a smiling face and a complete gentleman. You'll be missed and the best to your family in their time of loss. Give a big hug to Lexxy. You're both safe and pain-free in the God's house now. Luv RubbyRoo (Rut--Row)
Gambler Jim's presence at the live tournaments was always one of the high points.
Jim was my pard at Pa. live tourney....He was as gracious a pard as I ever had. A fellow with a big heart that cared about all. I will miss him. \Golfer/
Jimmy was a real generous guy that knew how to have fun. I liked playing with or against him knowing he just played for the enjoyment of it all. I know he is in heaven on looking over all of us and smiling about your comments we are making of him. Here's to you Jimmy and I hope to see you very soon my friend. Sweet dreams and God bless buddy...... BullDogPride
A more gentle soul i have never met. pinochle will miss one of its few true gentlemen. thank you Jim for sharing so much with us. honestguy2
I meet Jim several years ago in iplay where he entertained the lobby with his beautiful poems. I had the honor of meeting Jim and enjoying his company at a few PA tourneys. His geniune smile and zest for life showed in his nature. Just this year Jim gave me a book of his poems which I will now cherish forever. You will be missed Jim very much but you will never be forgotten! Your spirit will stay in my heart forever! ~*NightGracie*~
"Lives" will certainly miss you Jim. I send my deepest regrets to family members to them I will say he was maybe oe of the flashiest dressed gambler I ever seen. He had fun at the "lives" and enjoyed playing cards. I know he wrote poetry also and the words he wrote were very good. R.I.P. Jim and don't be dealing off the bottom of the deck up there with PSG144 and lexxy50.
I feel like a good friend was lost with Jim. As many of us did, I'm sure he is being missed.
we love u jim i miss u so much love kissme
Never did I ever meet such a gentleman as Gambler Jim. I had the pleasure of meeting him for the first time 2 years ago at a live pinochle tourney. He was such a sweetheart and I will always remember his smile. Give lexxy a biggggggggggggg smooooooch from me. babydoll
Jim was a great guy.........called home to soon. Topginny
sorry to see you go jim but you are not in a peaceful place will miss you dearly let god be with your family jim my prayers go out to the family tweetybird / sylvester
THIS MAN'S NIC SHOULD HAVE BEEN "GENTLEMAN GAMBLER JIM". this man was a man among men, and a true gentlemen at that.I will surely miss him. When he came to the table to play cards one had to play their best, as he was surely one of the best. I will cherish the book of poetry that i have he wrote.....................CYCLONE
HAHAHA, I must agree with Cyclone on that score, whenever i think of GamblerJim, I want to call him Gentleman Jim, then I remember that Country Legend Jim Reaves already has that nick... I never had the pleasure to meet The country Legend, but a better man than Jim I will seldom see.... Mike
I didn't get to know Jim as well as some but loved his sence of humor and his poems. There are some people who, for some strange reason you never think would die. GamblerJim was one of those. He is going to be missed. My best wishes to his family in their time of sorrow. He may not be with us in body but always in our hearts. May the memories help the family deal with the pain of his loss. Debby (madjest)
To the family of Gambler Jim I'm in a state of shock as I had just talked to him a couple of days ago, never had the pleasure of meeting him in person but we played plenty in iplay. Jim I will miss seeing your great poems in the lobby as well as not being able to play with you. My prayers to your family. Mrsg.1226
Where do i start...with his beautifull poetry...his great sense of humor...his fantastic card sense...his heart full of love for his friends and family...I am so glad i got to know him both on line and in real life.I was looking forward to seeing him again soon.Jim will be missed by all that had the good fortune of knowing him. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. He loved you all so very much and was so proud of his granbabies :) shaylanna
I don't even think there is enough room to express my feelings for this man. My dear friend, my you be swimming with the whales and thinking of me. I make a promise to still make the trip to Washington that we planned in September. Every second I am there, I will think of you. It is because of you this trip was even considered. I have truly been blessed being your partner, your rival and more importantly, your friend. I felt honored wearing your hat. We shared so many laughs, tears of happiness, tears of joy, and tears of sadness. But your inspiring words always ended the conversation with a smile. At times like this, it makes me realize that God only puts us on this Earth to do His work and my friend, you have done that plus more. My prayers extended to your family. I will truly miss you and everything you were to everyone. You befriended a lonely person sitting alone in a corner; you befriended the most high-powered person; you befriended a grieving person you never even met. How do you say good-bye? My friend, I will never say good-bye, but instead, until we meet again. I love you J. Lawrence Orcalover
I am so glad that I got to meet this special man in person, to share his smile, to read his poems and he always had a hug ready for me. I will never forget at last live when someone was having a problem and he said with a twinkle in his eye, "I went and got momh, its a woman thing" lol...as it turned out he became a special friend I think to that someone :) He will be missed by all whose lives he touched by hand or by words...shortnsweet
I have had the great pleasure of personal hugs from Jim..He was always ready with a smile for anyone that would cross his path, he was such a gentle sincere man, last year at live I had to smile cus he looked like something was troubling him and I asked him what was wrong and he said someone was in trouble but it was a "woman thing" and he turned it over to momh...as it turns out he proved to be a special friend to that "someone" and I think she realized that GamblerJim was very much "Gentleman Jim" He had a way of touching you whether it was by his poems or his smile but he will never be forgotten and I am very glad I had the opportunity to meet him.
I have had the great pleasure of personal hugs from Jim..He was always ready with a smile for anyone that would cross his path, he was such a gentle sincere man, last year at live I had to smile cus he looked like something was troubling him and I asked him what was wrong and he said someone was in trouble but it was a "woman thing" and he turned it over to momh...as it turns out he proved to be a special friend to that "someone" and I think she realized that GamblerJim was very much "Gentleman Jim" He had a way of touching you whether it was by his poems or his smile but he will never be forgotten and I am very glad I had the opportunity to meet him. shortnsweet
I had the privledge of meeting Gambler Jim, in October, at the Live Pinochle Tourney, held in WA state. He was a very nice person and I will miss him in the IPLAY pinochle ranking lobby and at the live tourney next year.
MEMORIES OF THE GAMBLER There is a Gentle man that wears a black hat, Who’s Smile is as big as it's brim, A Heart he has as big as life itself to share with all his friends. You will never find, a Gentler guy, if you search the ocean's end. Orcas Island will miss him next September, but he will be with us in Sprit as we set sail, and who knows...... We might just see him our there playing with the whales. My life has been blessed to meet such a man, Gambler Jim You will live in my heart always and forever. Nona
My Gamblin Man- A true and honest Gentleman through and through. He was the sweetest, most caring and loveable man I've ever had the pleasure to befriend. My heart breaks at the loss of him, and smiles that he is now with wonderful company watching over all of us. I send the most sincere condolences to Jim's family and friends. MysticalLady
I met Jim at PA tourney 2 years ago, he was a pleasure, I remember he had his laptop there and he went into igames so we could all say hi to our other friends..Jim I remember your beautiful poems, we spent sometime in the rec room playing pool and just talking....You will be missed..Give Sandy a big hug for me please...ML
ive met jim at live pinochle tourneys in Pa,and im glad ive had the opportunity too meet him and share laughter,too listen too his compassion of others,and too share thoughts and ideas. He seemed so Free,and seemed too know how too enjoy life... I will Truely Miss Him but will always remember his warm grin Ken Lux aka: dadof5
Jim You will be missed by all may God Bless you
I have had the honor of meeting "Gentleman" Jim in the Pocono's at two of the Pennsylvania live tournaments. A kind, gracious, gentle and compasionate man he certainly was. He will be sadly missed, but we can be at ease knowing he is in the hands of God. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Rest peacefully Jim, we will miss you. Meri (aka Kitten)
My thoughts and prayers are with your family!! I never had the pleasure of meeting you in Person, but your presence and peotry in the iplay lobby was always something that I looked forward to. We played as partners and opps, you were always a perfect gentleman. You will be missed by many!! I know you will be watching over all of us !!! (witch)
Not only was he a great and friendly player but a nice person as well. I haven't been playing pino for to long so when I first learned the fun of pino I still had tons of questions. I came across Jim in ranking I believe and he was more then happy to answer the questions I had. Esp when he found out it was only my second game lol. And of course him and his p beat me. Iplay will be missing a great person. I know he is having a ball now though he can play pino all day if he wants and laugh at all of us when we have to goto work and leave our favorite game. God Bless you GamblerJim and ty for everything you gave us. JonesK
I met Jim at the vegas tourney only briefly but he seem very nice and lots of fun with a big smile, nice people like him will missed everywhere. rocknroll
I have only played cards with Gamblerjim a few times, but in those times he was kind,fair and a pleasant person.
Gambler Jim will be sadly missed, I will miss seeing his lovely poetry in the pinochle lobby.Bells2001
I never met Gambler Jim in person, but I had the pleasure of being his pard in Iplay. He was a very sweet man who always lightened up the game by making us all laugh and forget the mistakes we made in the game. God Bless you Jim, thank you for bringing some laughter into my heart.
Jim, I wish you fair winds, calm seas and smooth sailing - always a pleasure to be around you - johnph77
A fine man loved by so many.
Somethin smells kinda fishy here jim...
We know where you are now Jim....and your poetry will always be in our hearts. You are missed, for your words and your joy that entered the room with you. Love Clueless1
Jim, my dearest friend, confidante, and certainly the best pard I ever had. You are sadly missed my sweet, kind, gentle, loving and compassionate friend. I will always remember the great times we shared *S* and laugh at the silly things we said. Your poetry will remain in the hearts of many forever. There's never been a GENTLEMAN truer than you. You have touched so many lives. You are loved, now and always. My most sincere condolences to your family, for they have suffered a great loss. Walk with the Angels Jim.... Gena aka Firstmate
my father had quite a bit of friends. you guys are very appreciated. if any of you want a book please email me you adress at jmybran@hotmail.com i would be glad to answer any questions you have. jimII
I had the pleasure of meeting Jim in October when he came out for the live tourney in Wa. My daughter had 12 teeth extracted that day. My mom picked him up at the airport and on the way home called me and wanted to stop by so I could meet this terrific man she spoke of so often.I needed medicine for my daughter but had no money, so mom and Jim stopped by k~mart and got what I needed. Jim bought a big cuddly stuffed dog for my daughter to help make her feel better. The first time she smiled that day was when he gave it to her. Mom had always told me what a kind, generous, and compassionate man Jim was. She was so right. My children loved him immediately. Jim also helped me through some rough marital problems and offered to let me spend time at his home if I needed to get away for awhile (with my children). What a great man he is! To your family Jim, I offer my most sincere condolences. To you Jim, I love you too . You are missed. My mom misses you so much, but also knows you are watching over all of us. God Bless You Jim. Anitra, Sierra and Josiah
My Brother and I appreciate all of the wonderful comments that you, his friends have to say about him. He passed on December 15th, 2001. As was his wish, he was creamated. We had a memoria service where the Maxwell Air Force Base Honor Guard came and payed military honors and tribute to him. He always loved the mountians and talked of returning to them to live out his days. He did not get that opportunity. So my brother Jim, my wife Tammy and myself "Jeremy" are going to take his remains to mountians near Denver Colorado. Gambler Jim carried no kind of insurance to pay his final expenses and we are considering organizing a "Memorial Penochle Tournament" this Spring to assist with these expenses. If any one has any experience putting one of these things together, their help would be appreciated. jlbrantley@yahoo.com
Thank you all for coming out today. We are all gathered on this sad humbling occasion. Jimmie Brantley Know as “JL” in his youth has passed away. Jimmie is survived by His Father Powell, his brothers Charles and Earl, His sisters Lanell, Melba Jane (Hickory-Nut) and Judy, Four children; Aaron, Maxine, Jimmy II and my self Jeremy, His 10 Grand children; whom he swears were so much fun he should have had them first! Eric, Ashley, Steven, Jeremy, Josh, Alyssa, Ashton, Beth-Ann, Jordy, and Ben. And a host of Friends family and acquaintances. In a time like this, the sudden surprise exit of a loved one, life can leave you wondering. Wondering about things you did not have a chance to say. Wondering about things that you did not get to finish with them. And wondering Why? Why him? Why Now? Why… However it is not our place to wonder why! Today the question is WHO? Who was Jimmie? Who was he to you? He was some one to each of us. I think he can best be called MY!! Sometimes he left us holding our hands to our face saying OH MY! What’s he done now? But he was MY! To everyone in here. · MY SON: To Powell and Estell, he was always MY SON! When he was in the Air Force and his picture would show up in the hometown paper. Estell would clip it out and put it in an album and when a chance would come up she would point it out and tell them that’s MY SON Jimmie. Although as with all children I am sure that every now and then he was “Your son Jimmie” · MY BROTHER: Jimmie was born a brother and lived up to the word. He was there for the projects, the gatherings and just there, when a brother would have been needed. · MY NEPHEW: To His Aunts Pauline, and Sudie he was always MY NEPHEW Jim. As a child we were at Aunt Sudie’s house From time to time and I could hear her on the phone telling her friends “oh that Noise! It’s just my nephew Jim’s boys” we have always been a noisy bunch. · MY HUSBAND: To more than one “Pat” He was my Husband! And he did those things a husband does and in the end of it all he was still MY! My Ex-Husband. · MY UNCLE: With his many Nieces and nephews he was always UNCLE Jimmie. And if you did not think that was and important thing to be all you had to do was say something bad about him and you would find out just how important it was, being “Uncle Jimmie” · MY FRIEND: With Jimmie you did not have to wonder if he liked you or not. Either he was your friend or not. No gray area there! If he was your friend he would be their if you called on him. Some times he would be there before you called on him. In his lifetime he has developed friendships wherever he went all around the globe. When I became a young man I realized that he was also MY FRIEND. We could sit around and talk for hours about any thing, or nothing. · MY PENOCHLE PARTNER: In recent years he has been this for many friends over the Internet. He has Traveled as far as Washington State and Ontario Canada for tournaments that he helped organize to get all of these net-buddies face to face so that they could be more than screen names to each other. · MY POET: He was a self styled poet, capable of whipping out something off the cuff or from deep thought. He was self published and proud of his work. He always said “I don’t care what any one thinks of it! I did it because it is what I wanted to do!” · MY UNKNOWN HELPER: Even to complete Strangers he was MY! My Unknown Helper. That person who stopped to lend a hand in time of need. As a child I remember more than a few motorist with one trouble or another that he assisted. And when the question “What do I owe you was asked” the answer was always “Nothing just return the favor if you see me in need sometime. · MY FATHER: To me he was MY FATHER. Father is a term of respect and he always taught my brothers, Sister and myself respect. We were raised in a Yes-Ma’am, No Ma’am house. · MY DADDY: He was also my Daddy. Daddy is a defensive word. He is the one who wakes you up when you are sick and gives you something to help you sleep, the one who goes to the school and takes your side when needed. The one who tells all of his friends that is MY SON! · MY TEACHER: He was also my Teacher! Letting me learn by example when needed, Saying “that’s ok if he hurts himself we’ll take him to the hospital” Knowing the whole time that he can only tell me so many times that’s hot don’t touch it, before he has to let me touch it my self” · MY CONFIDANT: Daddy’s have special powers and knowledge! They are supposed to use these powers to help you learn your lessons, which he did. These powers also give them special knowledge about you. Good or bad Dad always shared only the good and kept the bad private and confidential. I could tell him anything and it was between us. · MY ADVISARY: As a child your parents also become your adversaries. You spend vast amounts of time trying to get over on them, or cover up and conceal from them what you have done. Well there was not much that got by Dad. We have come home from sneaking out to go for a late night bicycle ride only to find every Door or window we thought we left open latched. With no choice but to knock the door would instantly fly open and we were greeted with “where ya been” · MY ENCOURAGER: He was also MY Encourager. It was never You can’t do it. It was also You Can do it! But… But you have to want to do it more than you want to do other things. He was very practical in this sense. He taught us early on that our life and potential was only limited by the seat of our pants. · MY GRANDFATHER/Grand-Daddy: To his Babies, Grand Babies that is. He was that grand daddy that bounced you on his belly until you were too big then you moved up to a knee or two, as you got bigger. No matter what though he was always ready to play. Regardless of the My! He was for you hold tight the fond memories you have and the love you shared. No matter what those are yours and can’t be taken away.
I had the pleasure of knowing a good and funny man Gambler Jim. You will truely be missed by all your friends. My prayers go out to his Love Ones. MsThing
sorry all, I've been working on the site and need to make sure this page is working properly... ki7yu
I had the pleasure of playing with--and the bad luck of playing against Jim on many occasions. I got to meet him at 2 live tourneys. I know that I will still find myself watching for him in the lobby. My thoughts are with his family. Fun4U
I dont remeber play with Jim.but what i did hear ,he was well liked by so many..he will be sorely missed,,,more so than me..cos i never had that chance,my love to all his family from me Ron aka as Budgie from the UK
To the Family of GamblerJim, My deepest condolences at the loss of your loved one. He was a wonderful man to play pino with. I enjoyed his company many evenings. He will be missed greatly by all of us at iplay.
DiamondqueenM
To the family of GamblerJim. My deepest condolences at the loss of your father, brother, husband, son and friend. He will be deeply missed at the pino tables. He was alway a joy to play against or with.
DiamondqueenM
Sweetheart, I thought that you would like to know, that someone's thoughts go where you go....That no one can forget the hours we've spent since first we met....That life is richer, sweeter far, for such a Sweetheart as you are....And now my constant prayer will be, that God will keep you safe for me. I love you Jimmie with all my heart.
Jim we love you and we are so happy that we were blessed enough to meet such a loving and kind soul as you are ............. I just know you have got to be so happy to be with our Lord as I know that is where you are ..... I will cherish all the memories I had while I knew you online ..and I will keep your poetry book close to me so I will continue to be inspired by your words of love ... God Bless you sweetie ...see you soon ok ..... With Love FineQualityPoet
GamblerJim, a true GENTLEMAN from the start. You wrote poetic words of friendship and love straight from your heart.
Fond memories set our hearts and minds aglow... Of a gamblin man, a poet, a best friend we all came to know... When God called upon you and said, "Jimmie,it's time to go."
Our lives have been enrichened, bettered too For knowing a man as special as you... A man so honest and caring and true.
Our thoughts go with you Jim, as you leave this earthly plain... Knowing now, you have no more pain... And forever in our hearts you will always remain.
With Love from Firstmate
To the family of Gambler Jim...I heard about your loss after my return from vacation during the holidays. I went to work this morning and there was Jim's book of poetry. He mailed it to me on 12/15/01....