James Joseph “Jimmie” DeLoretto, chief executive officer of Starplex
Corp., was born to Louis and Virginia DeLoretto on October 26, 1953 in
Salem, Oregon. He passed away suddenly on February 4, 2011. Jimmie was
the second of five children. He was a loving husband to Mary West, a
father to Meghan and Luke, a caring son, brother, and uncle, and he
dedicated his life to looking after the needs of his family.
Jimmie
was raised in Salem, Oregon and attended South Salem High School with
the class of 1972. While attending school there, Jimmie was ASB
President, lettered in Track and Field, and was the starting tailback.
Jimmie prided himself in being a part of the 1971 State Championship
Football team which is still the only year the school has held that
title. He was honored to be a part of this team that was recently
inducted into the South Salem Sports Hall of Fame.
Jimmie
attended Southern Oregon University (SOC at the time) where he said he
worked his two favorite jobs – DJ for a local radio station and as a
referee. He then moved to Orlando, Florida to work for his uncle’s
beverage distributing company and while in Florida he graduated from the
Florida State Police Academy where he served in law enforcement. He
missed his home in Oregon, so he moved back and began his long career in
Crowd Management.
His empire began in 1979 when he
started his first company, Crowd Management Services (CMS) that serviced
clients in Oregon at concerts, fairs, festivals, and sporting events.
He branched his Crowd Management company from Oregon to include
Washington, Montana, Alaska, and Idaho. He pioneered the terms crowd
management and guest services and provided “the best of the best” to
clients throughout the Pacific Northwest. In order to expand his guest
service program, Jimmie attended the Disney University Professional
Development Program receiving certificates for his continued education.
He then used this schooling to instill a more family oriented event
atmosphere. Crowd Management Services (CMS) then evolved into Starplex
Corporation which celebrated its 32nd anniversary this year. In 2008 he
was approached by a real estate company to take over and turn their
business around. Jimmie took on the challenge and was able to make their
company a family.
Jimmie was a hard working man, loved to
spend time with his wife and family. He enjoyed walking the fairgrounds
during fairs, flying planes, spending time at his beach house, and
playing practical jokes on anyone he could prey on. He had a personal
goal to write a book on heroes, along with elaborate plans for enhancing
fairs and festivals. His life touched and encouraged many people
through the years, and his legacy will live on forever.
Jimmie
is preceded in death by his father Louis DeLoretto Sr. and nephew Kyle
Rabe. He is survived by his wife Mary West, his children Meghan and Luke
Keysboe, his mother Virginia DeLoretto, brother Chip DeLoretto, sisters
Joan DeLoretto, Sue and Tom Rabe, Charli DeLoretto, nieces Rhiannon
Kamper, Wendy Walsh, Sophia DeLoretto-Chudy, Ellie DeLoretto and Kyleah
Rabe, nephews Jeremy and Justin DeLoretto, Nico DeLoretto-Chudy, Will
DeLoretto, and his extended family Valarie DeLoretto, and Kristen
Carpenter.
A private interment was held at Cloverdale
Cemetery in Turner, Oregon on Wednesday, February 9, 2011. A Celebration
of Life will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, February 20, 2011, at the
Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront in Portland, Oregon. In lieu of
flowers please send donations to the Mercy Corps at PO Box 2669,
Portland, OR 97208. For any inquiries please contact Threadgill Memorial
Services at 503-526-3952.