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Hornell, NY \/ Lakeland, FL<\/p>\nHornell, NY \/ Lakeland, FL<\/p>\n
James G. \u201cJim\u201d Congelli \u2013 88 \u2013 of Lakeland, FL, formerly of Hornell, died early Sunday morning (May 3, 2026) at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, following a long illness.\u00a0 He was a beloved father to James M. and Jennifer Ann, a proud grandfather to Emma, Zachary and Connor and a friend to many.<\/p>\n
James Gerard Congelli was born on May 18, 1937, the eldest son of Gerard & Ann (Iervalino) Congelli.\u00a0 He grew up on Cottage Avenue and was a member of Hornell High School\u2019s class of 1956.\u00a0 James, known as \u201cJim\u201d to close high school friends and family, was always fun-loving and good natured with a true zest for life.<\/p>\n
Following high school, Jim worked for several years as a cashier at the former Loblaw\u2019s Grocery Store before enlisting in the, US Army.\u00a0 He served stateside and was also stationed in Korea.\u00a0 Although he did not see combat, his time in the military proved both personally meaningful and formative.\u00a0 The experience deepened his commitment to a life defined by duty, service, and loyalty \u2014 qualities that guided him through every stage of his life.\u00a0 He was honorably discharged in 1962.<\/p>\n
After his discharge from the US Army, Jim returned to Hornell, where he resumed work at the former Loblaw\u2019s Grocery Store and later served as a sales representative for the Evening Tribune.\u00a0 During that time, he formed a close friendship with the Buisch family, especially Adrian Buisch.\u00a0 That bond grew even stronger after Jim purchased a home on Delaware Avenue, where he and his family lived until June 1990, and where their neighbors\u2014the late Frank, Lena, and \u201cAunt Fran\u201d Libordi\u2014were regarded as family.<\/p>\n
Jim was employed as a sales representative and truck driver for Interstate Brands (Millbrook Bread) Company, which operated a depot on the Hornell\u2013Arkport Road for many years.\u00a0 Up at the crack of dawn each day, he was dedicated to his customers.\u00a0 From Hornell to Dansville, Wayland to Cuba, and Wellsville to Alfred State College, Jim\u2019s lighthearted sense of humor brought an infectious smile to all who had the privilege of knowing him.<\/p>\n
He especially enjoyed delivering to Alfred State College\u2019s dining hall, where breakfast and a hot cup of coffee often awaited him, thanks to his sister, the late Margaret Carrig, who managed the dining hall for many years.\u00a0 In his free time, Jim also coached in the Hornell Babe Ruth Baseball League and served honorably on its Board of Directors.<\/p>\n
In 1990, the Congelli family moved to Elmira, where Jim continued his career as a sales representative and truck driver for Strohmann Bakeries.\u00a0 From downtown Elmira to Elmira Heights, his infectious smile and fun-loving personality earned him a lasting reputation throughout the Southern Tier until his retirement in 1999.<\/p>\n
He was married on June 1, 1968, at St. Ignatius Loyola Church to the former Mary Catherine \u201cKatie\u201d Leahy, who survives.\u00a0 Jim was a devoted family man who always put his loved ones first.\u00a0 He especially loved attending his children\u2019s high school sporting events and was an avid football fan, proudly cheering on the Hornell Red Raiders and the Buffalo Bills.\u00a0 Over the years, many friends and neighbors became like family, and some of the most cherished memories with Jim were made around the kitchen table, often over \u201cJim\u2019s Homemade Pizza.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jim had a true passion for cooking and could often be found in the kitchen on his days off preparing one of his specialties\u2014homemade pizza, Italian ditalini soup with fresh-baked bread, or a pot of his signature spaghetti sauce.<\/p>\n
While living in Hornell, Jim and Katie were communicants of St. Ann\u2019s Church.\u00a0 In 2012, Jim and Katie moved to Lakeland, FL, where they were members of St. Anthony\u2019s Church.\u00a0 Jim is a former member of the Hornell Knights of Columbus and throughout the years was an avid golfer.\u00a0 In his younger years, Jim enjoyed bowling at the Hornell Bowl in several leagues.\u00a0 An avid history buff, Jim was a huge fan of a good John Wayne western or any type of good old-fashioned war movie.<\/p>\n
Jim was preceded in death by his sisters, Patricia Ann Flansburg and Margaret Ann Carrig; his brother-in-law, Raymond M. Carrig; and his former sister-in-law, the late Sharon A. Congelli.<\/p>\n
In addition to his wife of 58 years, Katie, survivors include his son, James M. \u201cJimmy\u201d Congelli of Belmont, NC; his daughter, Jennifer Ann (Darrell) Ingold of Holbrook, Long Island, NY; his brother, John Congelli of Hornell; three grandchildren, Connor Congelli, Emma Ingold and Zachary Ingold; several beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.<\/p>\n
The family will greet relatives and friends on Saturday, June 27, 2026 from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM at the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church Street, Hornell, NY.\u00a0 A Christian Service of Remembrance with Military Honors will follow at 1:00 PM. With Deacon Robert McCormick officiating.\u00a0 Final interment with committal prayers will follow at St. Mary\u2019s Cemetery, Town of Fremont.<\/p>\n
In recognition of Jim\u2019s service to his country as a member of the US Army, the American Flag at the Dagon Funeral Home will be flown at half-staff.<\/p>\n
Services will be live streamed and may be seen on the Facebook page of The Dagon Funeral Home by visiting www.facebook.com\/dagonfuneralhome beginning at 1:00\u00a0 PM.\u00a0 The video will remain online and will be available for viewing for 30 days.<\/p>\n
In lieu of flowers, those wishing may contribute in Jim\u2019s memory to St. Ann\u2019s Academy, P.O. Box 446, Hornell, NY 14843 to continue supporting Catholic education. Memorial forms for contributions will be available at the Dagon Funeral Home.<\/p>\n
To leave an online condolence or share a memory, visit www.dagonfuneralhome.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hornell, NY \/ Lakeland, FL James G. \u201cJim\u201d Congelli \u2013 88 \u2013 of Lakeland, FL, formerly of Hornell, died early Sunday morning (May 3, 2026) at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, following a long illness.\u00a0 He was a beloved father to James M. and Jennifer Ann, a proud grandfather to Emma, Zachary and Connor and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-obituaries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8209"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8212,"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8209\/revisions\/8212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dagonfuneralhome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}