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James Quill
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Obituary for James Andrew "Hoody" Quill

Known as Hoody to his many friends, passed away on July 17, 2013 at his home in Tiburon, CA after living triumphantly through many battles with cancer over the past three decades. He was 48. Over the years, Hoody became something of a celebrity cancer fighter, never losing his magnificent love for life and his 1,000 watt smile. He was profiled most recently in a 2009 Marin Magazine article where he called himself the "luckiest man on earth" for all the blessings he had received from life, especially his wife Laura and his five children, since his first diagnosis at the age of 17.

He is survived by his wife Laura and five children: Andrew, Caroline "Muffin", Peter "Pistol", Caitlin "Coco", and Patrick "Patch"; his five wonderful siblings Tina (Mike) Scarrone, Teresa (John) Pfifle, Katherine (Chris) Quill, Timothy Quill, and Leonard (Denise) Quill. He is predeceased by beloved parents Leonard and Martina Quill, sister- in- law, Lisa Quill. He was the adored son-in-law to Ann and Peter Danis.

Born on June 1, 1965 in Delaware, Hoody grew up on Arundel Drive in Wilmington with his parents and five siblings. He was always a gregarious tow-headed kid who was in and out of trouble on many a summer day. The broad grin and star spangled speedo could be spotted racing through the water at the local swim meets to the chants of HOODY! HOODY! His extraordinary journey began in high school, when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He luckily found the care of Dr. Norma Wollner, the renowned oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York. While receiving treatment there, he traveled back to play his championship high school football game, the first sign of his exceptional will to battle through illnesses. He returned to New York City as an aspiring actor and attended the William Esper Studio for training. He performed in many minor off Broadway productions. His claim to fame to his kids was being cast as an extra in more than 100 movies! After a bout with thyroid cancer at age 24, he met his wife Laura, a nurse at MSKCC. In a 1999 article in the New Yorker magazine, Hoody recalled that after treatment at MSKCC, "I was so weak I could barely stand. Laura made we walk. She loved running and opened my eyes to Central Park…We fell in love." They were married in Lake Forest, Illinois when he was 29. Due to his treatments, he was not expected to have children, according to some doctors, but he went on to have five beautiful children. He and Laura's amazing partnership and their growing family served as the focus for an inspiring feature story on ABC's 20/20 in 2000.

Hoody and Laura and their newborn son moved to San Francisco in 1997 and lived in the Marina District. They moved the family to Tiburon and have lived there for the past 10 years. Hoody was active and adored by his parish and school communities at St. Hilary Catholic Church and St. Ignatius College Prep. He coached his kids on many local sport teams and volunteered for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Tiburon. His bachelor party began the Hoody Open Golf tournament in Delaware and it will be played again this September. He was an avid runner and athlete and, despite many physical obstacles, he continued to run throughout his treatments and surgeries.

Hoody was passionate about living and repeatedly told his kids and those around him that cancer was a gift as it brought out the best in those he came in contact with, including many devoted and gifted doctors and nurses, who prepared him to live big. Both Hoody and Laura and their kids express gratitude for the expert care and compassion which spanned over three decades being treated for different cancers in addition to Dr. Wollner: his expert head and neck surgeons David Eisele, Lisa Orloff, and Daniel Knott; Andrew Ko, Sue Yom, and Daniel Null along with the beloved staff at MSKCC and UCSF Mt. Zion Cancer Center.

Hoody was an avid baseball and SF Giants fan lived by the words of the team's adopted song, "Don't Stop Believing". He told his children many times before he passed away, he will be watching and fathering them from heaven. Hoody's love of life, his welcoming smile, wise-cracking wit and his unparalleled attitude will be dearly missed by his family, friends, many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Quill Family Education Fund (to make a confidential donation, please contact Leonard at quillfamily5educationfund@gmail.com) and the Tiburon chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delawareonline/obituary.aspx?n=james-andrew-quill&pid=165937210#fbLoggedOut

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