JAMES (JIM) ROGER CROPO

Condolences & Memories (2 entries)

• Jim and I were in the same grade 12 room at high school. Many years later we met several times at McIvor Mall when he was between pickups and we had some chats. The one incident that I will always remember about Jim is the time he skipped out of French class one spring afternoon. The french classroom in the new section looked out onto the parking lot. From the top floor classroom we could see Jim trying to start his motor cycle (think it was small Yamaha). He was having problems as it wouldn't start and he kept trying the kick start. The French teacher, Mr. Mannishen, always strolled around the classroom as he taught. Each time he would turn to walk towards the window, someone would ask him a question and he would turn away from the window direction to answer the person. More and more students started to look out the window as they sensed something was going on in the parking lot. Mr. Mannishen sensed something was up as a lot of students were looking out the window and he went to look out. Jim had got fed up trying to start it and pushed it out of sight in time before Mr Mannishen got to the window. Next day, we had some good laughs with Jim telling him what was happening in the upstairs classroom as he was trying to start his bike. Miss you Jim. - Posted by: colin dederick (fellow school friend) on: Jan 04, 2015

• I met Jim in about 1980, while working at Canada Post. He was doing the route at the Garden City Shopping mall in a friend's store. We started to talk and I asked him if he ever roller skated. He said no I then told him about us skating at the 4 saints roller rinks on the adult night skates and that was it!! Jim came out one night and he was hooked big time, Jim caught on to roller skating very fast and became one of Winnipeg's best Dico funk skater, being very smooth on the floor making his own style, Jim found his lifelong love. We became very good skating friends and Jim went on skating trips down to St Louis Park MN part of the Twin Cities to a huge disco roller rink called the roller gardens many black great black roller skaters skated there and Jim would copy there style and be back in Winnipeg later that week and have the style down 100%. I have been Roller skating since 1966 at the age of 10 and will tell you I have never seen a person catch on to such a hard style so fast and do it flawless. This kept Jim skating weekly till the late 80s and after most of the rinks closing down lost touch with Jim. He had a great talent on wheels. I'm sorry that I just found out this weekend about Jim's Passing last year. Alway quiet and friendly and a great shuffle skater will be remembered by anyone who saw him skate - Posted by: Ron Corrin (friend ) on: Dec 09, 2012