Jim Schoffman

Eulogy for Jim Schoffman

As presented with love by Susan Adams Loyd

St. Timothy Catholic Church in Blaine, Minnesota

September 20, 2024

Hello! I am Susan Adams Loyd, of Mass Velocity Track Club, one of Jim’s teammates and training partners. Today, in celebration of his extraordinary life, I’ll share some remarks that Nancy asked me to pull together. It has been a privilege getting to know many of you and learning more about Jim through this preparation.

Especially enjoyable were the conversations with Marcia Huls & Phil Schoffman, older siblings, who describe Jim in his youth as “the sweetest, happiest little boy”. After their parents, Mary Jane and Francis purchased a quirky twenty-room house, a former historic inn, the Schoffmans moved to quaint and quiet Avon, Minnesota. While the older Schoffman kids, may have at times, shaken a few trees, Jimmy was calm and steady, well-behaved….maybe not the most studious…. but as the fourth of five kids, he was “someone that everyone enjoyed being around”.

As a teenager, that same dear Jim took a real liking to the Avon Drum & Bugle Corps. and devoted himself to playing the trumpet. About that same time, he discovered his love for sprinting…and at Albany High School became a stand-out track star, running what was then, the 100-yard dash, in 10-flat. He also began dating his high school sweetheart, Nancy Gorecki.

In their separate reflections, Marcia and Phil both giggled and then,…laughed some more…while describing “the incident”, one uncharacteristic night of binge drinking, when Jim failed miserably at shaking his goody-two-shoes reputation. Even that debacle didn’t work… Jimmy was consistently the “good kid” in the family.

And because of that mere fact, no one was surprised when, after graduation in 1971, he headed to nearby Saint John’s University to study Business Administration and run track. There, his dad taught geology, including a course that students affectionately called “Rocks for Jocks”.

St. John’s teammate, Dave Lyndgaard recounted, “when this skinny, slightly nerdy, quarter-miler showed up for his first track practice, the elder Schoffman’s celebrity preceded him, and almost instantly, Jim was humorously dubbed “Rocky”. Later this nickname morphed to “the Rocket” because, as Dave exclaimed, “that guy could fly!”

The St. John’s track experience bonded life-long friends, some of whom met recently to share fond memories with Rocky and to re-live their long-ago successes of the Johnnie’s powerhouse era although they questioned their arduous training regimen of the times.

One such remembrance included a remarkable 4X4 at the 1975 MIAC National Championship in which the Johnnie team was seeded eighth of 12. In a pre-race huddle, Rocky galvanized his teammates with a passionate preamble and then, essentially willed their team’s victory into existence! Mike Bauer, who ran the first leg, reminisced, “I could hear his voice and feel Jim’s impact of that day for years to come…his words, his intense focus, his support…. He just always knew how to deal with people.” That same year, Rocky was voted captain, and “most valuable player” demonstrated by his high point scoring and natural leadership abilities.

After college, Jim and Nancy were married, and later blessed with two beautiful children, Brad and Sarah. Their house of 43 years is characterized by warm, customized touches including Nancy’s fabulous garden surrounded by some of Jim’s handiwork – a deck, garage, gazebo and a lovingly designed “she-shed,” which was among his last projects.

Jim always loved doing nice things for others. He had an ability of showing up…gifting his time…wisdom and talents…for the people and organizations he loved. He joyfully leaned into home improvement and woodworking projects with Brad, Sarah and her husband, Christopher. He regularly attended his nephews Russ and Steve’s baseball games or proudly cheered for his great niece, Erin, at U of M track meets. He thoughtfully organized our Saturday morning team practices, making sure there was a special nuance for each participant. He even helped with lay ministry and gardening at St. Williams church.

Jim demonstrated similar kindness during 34 years at Lakeland Engineering where his co-workers became his close friends.  

In the early 2000’s, after a 25-year gap, Jim’s interest in track rekindled. Perhaps “Rocky” had some unfinished business…left over from his Johnnie days. You see, masters track and field is akin to “grown-up recess”, and the gravitational pull of “the Oval Office” can be very strong. So….at a time of life when many friends and former teammates were slowing down just a notch, Jim geared up for what became, perhaps, the most fulfilling track experience of his career.

Jim was a long-time member of Mass Velocity Track Club, a rag-tag group of like-minded master sprinters, whose motto is “Fast, not Far”. We, Jim’s teammates, can vouch for his superb performances in repeated events ranging from the 100m up to the 800m and in various relays, that at times, set world records including a 2019 indoor 4x4 age-group record. We watched (in awe!) as he became a decorated world-ranked master athlete and needed no explanation as to why he was called “The Rocket” decades earlier. A true ambassador of the sport, he forged friendships around the globe. He received various awards and accolades including an induction into the Minnesota Senior Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2017. Two years later, Mass Velocity created an award in his honor.

He often said that he did not want his cancer to define him. Yet, in an unusual way, you might say it refined him. Anyone who has ever raced at any distance knows that you’ll run your best when a formidable competitor steps up to the line and then pushes, or pulls you, almost magically….down…the…track!  Call them a “frenemy,” someone you both hate to race and yet admire. Only when you face such a foe is it possible to find that “extra gear,” causing you to lift your knees 1/100 of a second faster than you ever have before or to allow you to grind through the hellacious pain in the last stretch of a 400m to a personal record.

Cancer was Jim’s ultimate challenger, making him more resolved on the track as well as in all aspects of life!

For example, a U of M doctor warned Jim of the inherent risks of a possible experimental treatment that included nineteen-hours of sedation, hot chemotherapy and extensive surgical intervention. Many patients were excluded from this trial because it often did more harm than good, occasionally proving fatal. As though he’d been dared, Jim wouldn’t take “no” for an answer from the selection panel of physicians, and in support, presented two of his most-prized track medals and a video of an incredible 2019 Penn Relays 4X400m performance where he and fellow Mass Velocity teammates set the house on fire! (BTW, when you watch that video, keep in mind that Jim had just finished a round of another kind of chemo three days before racing!)

As Jim would say, “Trust your training!” And, train he did…toward both track goals and his overall health targets central to his regimen. He started experimenting with a very clean diet and natural remedies. He listened to podcasts and read books on the body’s chemistry and how reducing inflammation both helps fight cancer and keeps an aging body active.

Then, with the rigor and discipline of Rocky Balboa, it was if he jumped into a ring to face his cancer opponent….punching with his right and again, with another sharp jab from the left for eight solid years! He outlived all predictions of life expectancy for his stage four cancer, while digging deeper into his track experience, relationships and his faith.

Jim was more than just a friend or a teammate; he was a mentor, someone who both challenged himself while challenging us to become the best versions of ourselves. He had a remarkable ability to share the right amount of truth, empathy, enthusiasm, or humor. As his body grew weaker, his spirit seemed to grow larger and more influential.

Chuck Ceronsky, a former college trackmate and later his spiritual advisor, described Jim as having a rare polarity of being both realistic and hopeful, a trait that afforded him a unique capacity to examine and appreciate his life and faith more fully, especially as the end was more eminent.

In this last difficult year, Jim trained (when he could) and even competed at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor National Championship in Greensboro, racing individual events and a fantastic final 4X100 club relay. He and Nancy continued traveling to North Carolina and to Skokie, Illinois, where he received specialized treatment. He gardened, volunteered at meets and even started woodturning toward the end. As Nancy says, “He found joy in the simple things in life whether it was sitting on a bench in a local park or just cooking breakfast. He never took for granted what truly matters—family and friends”

Rest in peace, dear Jim! As our husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, co-worker and teammate, we cheer and cry as you superbly cross the finish line. There is no trophy big enough to symbolize our love for you. You are our hero; a warrior on the track and a gentle soul off it. Your legacy will live always on in our hearts, and your example will continue to guide us. Thank you for showing us how to live fully, face adversity with realism and hope, and to embrace every moment with dedication, grace and unwavering generosity. Your kindness will never be forgotten, and your amazing spirit will inspire us forever. God bless you!