Obituary of James Hugh Gaffney

James Hugh Gaffney. Our Jim died peacefully at age 80 of heart failure during the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 2, leaving behind a loving extended family and many friends. His first son, Shaun Thomas Gaffney, preceded him in death. Jim was born in 1935 and grew up with his two brothers in south Minneapolis, where he graduated from Roosevelt High School. After service in the Army, Jim attended college and law school at the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation from law school, he worked for the Minnesota Attorney General for several years, and then began his long career as an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney. Jim will be deeply missed by his two brothers, Tom (Patricia) and Pat (Suk), of California; his two daughters, Katy Gaffney-Warden (Judy Warden) of Iowa, and Annie, and their mom, Mary Mammen; his two sons, Conlin (Mary Skelly-Gaffney) and Tim (Julia Stark), & their mom, Jim's best friend, Phebe Haugen. Longtime friend Mike Fisher is part of our grieving family, as well. We are eternally grateful to Jim's many doctors, who were sometimes challenged by the unusual combination of illnesses that made Jim such a complicated patient for so long. We especially appreciate Jim's primary physicians, Dr. Victor Sandler and Dr. Bryan Post, both of whom cared for Jim with extraordinary skill, kindness, and persistence for many years. The entire staff at the N.C. Little Hospice contributed to the sacred space created for Jim and for us in his last week of life. Their compassion and dedication helped shepherd us all through those difficult final days. Memorial service will be held at 4:00 PM on Friday, February 26th, at Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet, Minneapolis. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Relapsing Polychondritis Research at Benaroya Research Institute c/o Virginia Mason Foundation, 1218 Terry Avenue, PO Box 1930, D1-MF, Seattle, WA 98111-1930, or to the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (mplsheart.org).