HAMILTON, Ohio — A Hamilton native was hit and killed while riding his bike in Colorado.
James "Jim" DeFazio, an avid bicyclist, was killed on Feb. 13 when he was hit by a minivan. According to police in Fort Collins, Jim was riding his bicycle southbound along McMurry Avenue when a 2014 Toyota Sienna hit him at the intersection of East Harmony Road. He suffered brain injuries and died that day. He was 76.
Jim was riding a bike he received as a Christmas gift from his wife, Sherry, said his brother Bob DeFazio, 63, of Charleston, S.C. The accident remains under investigation, he said.
Jim survived two tours of duty during the Vietnam war and worked as a special agent with the FBI for more than 20 years.
Bob said his brother, the third of eight children, was in such good physical shape he expected him to live to be 100.
Jim, graduated from Hamilton Catholic High School in 1964 when he was 17. He received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he played lacrosse and graduated in 1968. He then served as a pilot in the Air Force during the Vietnam conflict. He piloted the C-123 in support of forward operating bases in his first tour, and the KC-135 in his second tour in support of bombing missions. He rarely talked about Vietnam except when he learned one of his fellow pilots had been killed in action, his brother said.
After completing his Air Force commitment, Jim spent 35 years in the public and private sectors. While with the FBI, he investigated organized crime, drug distribution, and money laundering, his brother said. His final years in the FBI were in Scotland Yard, London England as Legal Attache, working on international crimes, according to his brother.
After Jim retired from the FBI, he became an investigator for Wachovia National Bank (Wells Fargo) in the money laundering unit.
Bob said his brother lived “like his hair was on fire.”
“What an incredible life he lived,” he added. “He really enjoyed life.”
During their 50 years of marriage, Jim and Sherry DeFazio traveled extensively in Europe and the United States, biking and hiking most of the National Parks. Jim completed the Ride the Rockies multiple times, his brother said.
“He was in great shape,” Bob said. “He always stretched and watched what he ate. He weighed the same as he did in college.”
The DeFazio brothers vacationed together the last three years, hiking in Colorado.
“Man I’m going to miss his energy, his laugh,” his brother said. “He always had a big smile on his face.”
Besides his wife, Jim is survived by two sons, Damian and Adrian, and five grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at the Air Force Academy in Colorado at a later date.
It is unclear if the driver of the minivan will face any charges.
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