There are many reasons why Jim Pfaff deserves a eulogy. My hope is to give expression to some of them in this epistle. Even though I can’t say that I was one of Jim’s closest friends, I do have a privileged position from which to view his life, as I hope will become clear. He was a free spiritâthere aren’t very many true free spirits, yet he was also predictable in the expression of this freedom.
First of all, we have to get a picture of Jim Pfaff. Jim was authentically a hippieâthis was an identity developed in several ways over the last five decades of his life. He nearly always wore a bandana on his head, made out of a swatch of fabric about the size of a man’s handkerchief. The bandana crowning the bald head was balanced by a full white Santa Claus beard and moustache. Color was a thing with Jim, and so during the cooler months, he wore one of those vintage 90s pullover sweaters with an abstract design composed of several contrasting shades and textures. In the summertime, expect a brightly flowered or colored shirt and maybe just a few beaded necklaces left over from Mardi Gras or Halloween. He had a sport coat or two for special occasionsâchurch holidays, weddings, baptismsâbut each arm sleeve was always rolled up at least two full turns. “I don’t like things nattering at my arms,” he told me.
