Milwaukee Irish remember plane crash victim

MILWAUKEE-The Shamrock Club took time to remember longtime member Jim Quinn Thursday night.

Quinn was one of two local men who died in a small plane crash earlier this week in Missouri.

The 66 year old was well respected in the local Irish community.  He died just one day before his birthday.

\"He was a man of faith,\" friend Molly Duffy told CBS 58 News, \"always left us feeling better about ourselves.\"

It seems Quinn gave his time to every aspect of local heritage gatherings from Irish Fest to the Irish Cultural Heritage Center to a group of fathers supporting their Irish dancing daughters.

\"It's shocking to find this out,\" Denis Donohoe a longtime friend said Thursday, \"it took some time for me to come to grips with this.\"

Those who knew and admired the flight instructor say they find some comfort in knowing that he was doing what he loved; flying.

But they know there will be a void at future gathering, especially when it comes to his hearty laugh.

\"I think there's a lot of people in the Irish community who know Jim and are going to miss him,\" friend Jim Ricksecker said when recalling all the activities in which Quinn participated.

Julie Smith of the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin always admired how he never sought attention, but now his tragic passing has put new focus on the many contributions of one man.

 Smith summed it up best when she said, \"Jim was one of these men who quietly, efficiently was always there for people that needed him.\"