jim ungehajer's illness

DeepXplor

Explorer
Nov 5, 2008
341
19
Jersey Shore
I didn't know Jim but I did read his posts. Being a cancer survivor I have a special feeling for those families who go through this illness. My prayers are with Jim and his family.

Tony Repice
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,673
2,586
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Jim is one tough old geezer! He folloered me through knee deep muck out to thompsons beach,we waded through chest high briars to see stones.Had to stop occasionally to give his bad back a break and then he plowed on.we came to mud puddles that i refused to drive my four wheel beast through,Jim said hop in he was no sissy and on we went.George hollers Jim yer friggin nuts!I had to agree:) I remember the greenheads chewing on us out to thompsons.I told him they were the locals defense against shoobies:) He siad he loved the bay too much to be put off by a few bugs.He was a woods buddy that wore my young butt out a few times:)
Al
 

MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
Like others here I never met Jim, but enjoyed his posts and exchanged information about road conditions with him on occasion. I'm very sad to hear what he is going through, and mine and my family's best wishes are with him and his.
 

Pine Baron

Explorer
Feb 23, 2008
480
25
Sandy Run
I, too, have never met Jim, but the tales and pics of his pineland adventures were always enjoyed by many. My prayers are with your entire family.

John-
 

LARGO

Piney
Sep 7, 2005
1,553
134
54
Pestletown
I take no joy in speaking on a friend in the past tense. I've held my thoughts probably just to avoid that feeling, knowing Jim was still with us. It is a sadness that he has passed and I wish his family well in a difficult time. Given the nature of his illness, my hopes are that he passed peacefully and that now he is at rest.
I met Jim a handful of times and he was a character. I did not consider him an old man which is all the more sad for this situation yet I mused to myself more than once just how like a little kid he still was about all the wonders he got to see out here. That's good stuff in a time when so many folks let the beauty slip by. He was always just happy to share a story and our couple talks at the Pic were rather amusing just in the listening. His childlike wonder at the slightest thing was a gift.
We hung out at & were stuck/detained at the PIC once because we chose to meet there on the day that the big fire overtook the Atsion area. We made the best of it indeed. When funds permitted, Jim loved wings and a couple cold ones at the ened of the day in the Pines.
a little story... I have in the past made a comment about how I like old books for content and for, well, how they smell. (silly to some I guess). That day when we met and after our first beer he could not wait to get me out to his car. "I have something for you!" he said. He opened the trunk and grabbed it up and handed it to me. "Smell this one!" He opened it up and just about stuck it in my face! I have it here at hand. It's just a smallish old book from the 70's called Canoe Trails of the Jersey Shore. He had it, and it had been laying about so yes it had, and still does the scent of a book long untouched. It also is a good little read about canoeing which he knows I enjoy.
Well that's all, just a thought on a guy who thought enough of something he noted to act on it when meeting a forum friend. It was kind of him. I suppose it was just his kind.

g.
 

piker56

Explorer
Jan 13, 2006
641
53
68
Winslow
I never met Jim in person but we swapped fishing stories on a few occasions. I always enjoyed his trip reports and pictures. My condolences to his family.
Greg
 

Mts83

Explorer
Oct 24, 2008
207
1
Sourland Mountains
www.wtfda.info
I never met Jim either, but always found his trip reports interesting along with what seemed to be frequent trips to Atlantic County and the pines all the way from the Philly area. May he rest in peace, thoughts and prayers to his family.
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,673
2,586
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com
all I can say is that Jim wanted me badly to take him several places I knew his back could just not handle and I never took Him because I did not want to really mess him up.Places i almost got hurt going to.He now does not have to worry about a bad back.Jim if you have the internet where you are and can read this nows your chance.Briars and deep water are no obstacle to you now.You don't need coords now,Go Jim,find those deep swamp stones.
Al
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,951
8,694
I am saddened to hear of Jim's passing.

Jim and I had an on and off again relationship over the past few years. He was annoyed that I would not give him the locations of a few stones that he had his heart set on finding. These were places that someone who was having the problems he was dealing with just should not be, and I just did not want to have him go there and not be able to make it back. As Al has mentioned he was not able to travel far at all without his back giving him trouble. He would send me multiple emails every day with guesses where he thought they were. I never minded getting them, and today after reminiscing about those times I guess I should have taken the time to at least taken him to a semi easy one or maybe all of them.

Most of us have a special place we like to go to in the pines that gets us away from everyting for a while. A place where one can be pretty confident nobody else will be. One afternoon I fired up my computer, and as he often did Jim had a trip report posted. Full of photo's, I worked my way through them until one of them made me stop. There was a photo for all to see of one of the locations I never expected to view. Jim had wandered around in the area and had found it. This unmistakable photo posted on this site was something I did not want to see. People would talk, ask questions, and there were answers I just did not want to give, so I deleted it. After a few private messages between us it was apparent Jim felt I was threatening him, but all I was doing was trying to protect this place and Jim himself. It was quite a while after that before his emails returned to normal. His final message to me was on January 14 where he explained his absence for such a long time. He seemed upbeat even after weeks of being sick. The days ahead must have been really hard on him.


Guy

Sorry i haven't been in touch lately, i was admitted to Frankford-Torresdale Hospital Christmas night with Pneumonia in my right lung, i did not get out of the Hospital until December 30th, i still have Pneumonia it will take another 2 to 4 weeks to expel, i am finally back on my feet though.

Sorry i haven't let you know sooner, i will try to post in the near future when i am around 100%. I have lost 40 lbs. in the process.

Jim
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,658
4,834
Pines; Bamber area
a little story... I have in the past made a comment about how I like old books for content and for, well, how they smell. (silly to some I guess). That day when we met and after our first beer he could not wait to get me out to his car. "I have something for you!" he said. He opened the trunk and grabbed it up and handed it to me. "Smell this one!" He opened it up and just about stuck it in my face! I have it here at hand. It's just a smallish old book from the 70's called Canoe Trails of the Jersey Shore. He had it, and it had been laying about so yes it had, and still does the scent of a book long untouched. It also is a good little read about canoeing which he knows I enjoy.

Good story George. I found "Wind in the Willows" for free the other day (1953), and it has that comfy smell. I can't wait to read it and escape for awhile to a time when innocence ruled the day.
 

Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,619
1,878
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
I just noticed this thread -- I haven't really been keeping an eye on things for the last few days.

Like Guy, I had an on again off again relationship with Jim. I forget what exactly the circumstances were, but I had banned him and a few other people off this site for a few months. There were many folks who were upset with me, and to be honest I was upset with myself as well. When he did come back, I apologized to him and he very graciously acted like nothing had ever happened. I still feel a pang of guilt when I think of how rashly I had acted.

Godspeed, Jim. It's rare to have ever seen someone so interested in the Pines. You'll be missed.
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,951
8,694
I just noticed this thread -- I haven't really been keeping an eye on things for the last few days.

Like Guy, I had an on again off again relationship with Jim. I forget what exactly the circumstances were, but I had banned him and a few other people off this site for a few months. There were many folks who were upset with me, and to be honest I was upset with myself as well. When he did come back, I apologized to him and he very graciously acted like nothing had ever happened. I still feel a pang of guilt when I think of how rashly I had acted.

Godspeed, Jim. It's rare to have ever seen someone so interested in the Pines. You'll be missed.

And I can say for certain everything Ben has said is true. We discussed Jim often.

Guy
 

wolfspider05

Explorer
Nov 12, 2004
223
12
40
Riverside Nj
I feel very bad, I haven't been on a lot lately, I just now found out about Jim's passing. Jim and I spent time covering a lot of the old towns and finding stone markers in the pines. Jim was an awesome guy, he introduced me to Ten Mile Hollow and showed me Blacks Stone. The last time I spoke with Jim he congratulated me on becoming a father and he told me he recently bought a jeep. RIP Jim, you will be missed. I am sure if heaven has a pine barrens, he's in it.

Don
 
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