James Gregory Polise, age 81, of Sarasota, Fla., and Beulah, Mich., passed away on June 19, 2024, after a brave and hard-fought battle with cancer. He was born Jan. 31, 1943, in Chicago, to the late Sam and Elsie Littner Polise. Jim graduated from Fenger High School in Chicago in 1961. He then graduated from Northrup Aeronautical Institute in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1963 with a degree in aviation maintenance. He honorably served in the United States Army as a helicopter mechanic from 1963 – 1966, including an extended deployment in Korea.