James Joseph Sienicki

Jim died peacefully at home on September 15, 2025, from complications due to cancer. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and grew up in Carnegie as part of a large Polish Catholic family. His first flight took him to Colorado Springs to attend the Air Force Academy, where he discovered the joy of flying, competed in wrestling and track, and met the love of his life, a local girl named Chirl. Jim and Chirl wed the day he graduated—since "he was already in his dress whites"—and set off on the first of many adventures together.

In the Air Force, Jim navigated C-5 aircraft and formed lifelong friendships. He and Chirl began building their young family while the Air Force stationed them primarily in Dover, DE. In 1980, Jim left the Air Force, and both he and Chirl enrolled at the University of Kansas, where he attended law school and graduated third in his class. After law school, Jim moved his family to Phoenix, AZ, where he accepted a position with Snell & Wilmer, grew his family, and built a full, active life in the state he loved.

Over the decades, Jim built a successful career in law, became a senior partner, and led the construction practice area. Jim truly loved his work and built deep relationships with the many people he worked with, worked for, and mentored throughout his legal career. Peers and national professional associations recognized Jim throughout his career with various honors and awards.

Jim lived life with gusto, bringing energy, vigor, and a positive, fun-loving spirit to each pursuit. He ran more than 20 marathons, including several Boston Marathons. Fellow exercisers on his section of the canal, responding to his cheerful hellos, dubbed him the honorary "Mayor" of the canal for many years. As a perennial sports lover, Jim enjoyed attending Cardinals and Air Force Academy games, especially with his children and grandchildren. He attended many of his kids' and even some of his grandkids' meets, games, recitals, and races. He coached each of his children in athletics—soccer, wrestling, and T-ball—and many across town still know him as "Coach Jim." He encouraged his brood to compete academically just as fiercely as athletically, deploying his quick intellect to create riddles and games on road trips, and was ever-ready to help with homework.

No one ever described Jim as a man of few words. He loved telling stories (whether or not you'd heard them before), telling bad jokes, and bragging about his family. Jim was as generous as he was loud, managing to pay for nearly every meal once he became an attorney. He loved traveling and said he felt most alive when exploring new places with people he loved. A loyal husband and proud parent and grandparent, Jim smiled biggest when surrounded by "his whole team." He loved Chirl fiercely and declared her his favorite person, his "Best," until the very end.

Jim will be missed and remembered by his wife Chirl; his four children Teva, Ben, Amy, and Joey; his siblings Patti, Bea, and JD; his grandchildren Micah, Emmet, Truman, Gavin, Olivia, and Leo; and his many nieces and nephews, in-laws and in-loves, cousins, and surviving aunts and uncles—all of whom he loved and bragged about until the end.

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Services:

• Rosary: Wednesday, September 24th at 6:00 PM, Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E Indian School Rd. Phx AZ 85018

• Funeral: Thursday, September 25th at 10:30 AM, Franciscan Renewal Center, 5802 E Lincoln Drive Paradise Valley AZ 85253

• Burial: Thursday, September 25th at 12:30 PM, National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 2929 E Pinnacle Peak Rd Phx AZ 85024

• Reception: Thursday, September 25th at 4:00 - 6:00 PM, Paradise Valley Country Club, 7101 N Tatum Blvd, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Jim's memory to the Andrew Carnegie Free Library, Metro Caring, the Air Force Enlisted Village, St. Vincent de Paul, or the Pat Tillman Foundation.