Honorees

← Back to directory

Year Honored
2013
Honoree
James M. 'Jim' Dillow
Title
Flight Nurse
Agency
REACT
Agency City
Rockford
Agency State
IL
Last Call
12/10/12
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
Jim Dillow was a tall and strong man who had more than 10 years experience as a flight nurse. He grew up in Shannon, was a 1990 graduate of Eastland High School, studied nursing at St. Anthony College of Nursing in Illinois and then moved to Greenville, S.C., where he met his wife, Rachel, who was working as a nurse at a hospital there.<br /> <br /> Jim was well known for being hardworking, organized, generous, and a practical joker. He enjoyed photography, dancing, gardening, and music - especially playing his piano. He especially enjoyed shopping for Christmas, which was his favorite holiday, and he loved finding a good deal. Of all the things Jim enjoyed, the most important was spending time with his family. Dillow and his wife have four children together: two boys, and two girls. He was a compassionate, fun-loving, and adventurous dad involved in a number of activities with his children, from playing dress-up to going fishing and hunting. To Jim, family was most important. He was a strong Christian who often spoke of bringing his family on overseas mission trips, on which they could minister partly through the children's music- they play the piano, cello, violin and guitar.<br /> <br /> On Monday, December 10 at about 8:30pm, the REACT MBBK 117 helicopter Jim was in was heading for Mendota Community Hospital in LaSalle County to pick up a critically ill patient there, authorities said. During the outbound flight, the pilot radioed that the helicopter had "encountered weather" and was turning around. About 10 minutes later, the ground dispatcher tried to contact the helicopter but received no answer. A short time later, the hospital received reports that the helicopter had crashed near Rochelle. There were no survivors.<br /> <br /> Honored 2013