Mr. James Ali, Jr.

My Life Story... I, James “Jimmy” Ali, Jr., an only child, was born on August 28, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan to my loving parents who proceeded me in death, James Ali, Sr. and Helen Jean Leonard. I attended Detroit Public Schools and in 1960 I graduated from Cass Technological High School. On September 20, 1962, I married Delois Chew and to this union four children were born, the twins Norrine and Norris, Kevin, and Jason. We would later divorce and I would remarry. On August 30, 1986, I would wed Linda Strickland and with this union I gained a son, Antonio “Tony” Strickland, and my family of four became our family of five. While working in the late 1960s and early 1970s for IDS (Investors Diversified Services, Inc. now known as Ameriprise Financial, Inc.) I attended Wayne State University where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering. I worked as a First Class Stationary Boiler Engineer for the Renaissance Center and General Motors before retiring in July 2015 from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Although I was known as a diligent, hard worker to my family, friends and co-workers, two of my true passions were photography and travel. You could often find me at many of the city’s events snapping away, or at my favorite annual event, The Detroit Grand Prix. This is where some of my most memorable images were captured and truly gave me the opportunity to develop my craft as an aspiring photographer. My proudest moment as a photographer happened when one of my travel images was selected for the cover of a college publication at Oakland Community College. Little did I know as a youth, how these two passions would converge and help shape my growth as a man. Me and Linda had an opportunity to take our first cruise in 1988, and from that point on, I was hooked. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel the world and visit exotics locations such as Venice, Monaco, Barcelona, Alaska, and just about ALL of the Caribbean. The thing I loved most about traveling, particularly cruising, was the ability to spend special time with family and friends and further cement those relationships, which were so critical to my life. I also enjoyed a good game of chess, reading, completing crossword puzzles, watching golf, discussing politics, eating a good meal, preferably one prepared by my wife Linda; and my Johnny Walker. After a long and hard fight I loss my battle with lung and gastric cancers at 4:26 p.m. on August 18, 2017.

Mr. James Ali, Jr.

August 28, 1942 - August 18, 2017