Christmas in the Hills just isn’t going to be the same without such folks in our midst as Jim Wilson and Karen Holloway.

We ran Jim’s obituary in the paper two weeks ago. And Karen’s obituary is in today’s paper.

Jim was one of those “behind the scenes” guys who didn’t say a lot. He was much more content letting his wife, Joyce Szeliga, do the talking.

When the two of them used to own and operate Que Bueno, a Mexican restaurant still open today, they combined their unique talents and ideas to get much accomplished in Fountain Hills “back in the day.”

Jim had a real heart for teens, especially struggling ones, and he and Joyce used to employ as many of them as they could. Jim would tutor them at the restaurant, making sure they were getting passing grades and helping them in various subject areas. He would also teach them such things as “responsibility” and commitment, making sure they show up to work on time and actually do the work they were supposed to do.

Several of them spoke at Jim’s memorial about the impact he had on their lives.

Joyce is officially a member of the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame, but you know husband Jim was right there with her for such things as helping formulate ideas for bringing a Boys & Girls Clubs branch to town, starting the Midnight Madness program, organizing the holiday stroll on the Avenue and collecting tons of peanut butter for the county’s school for homeless children.

Fountain Hills is much better off today because of “good people” like Jim Wilson.

I learned of Karen’s death Monday morning when her good friend Dr. Chuck Kachel called in. Karen was another one of those active residents who also made her mark in the community.

I was always struck by her creativity, sense of humor and her ability to keep up with what was going on around town and who was doing what.

She traveled extensively and always had good stories to tell about her experiences around the world. She was instrumental in helping get Senior Services off the ground and helped run the Senior Center for a while.

Karen was a big part of the Fountain Hills Artists’ Gallery. She had her picture in last week’s newspaper helping promote an artists’ reception held Thursday evening at the gallery.

Karen at one time also was quite active in the Sister Cities program. She saw the value of forming relationships with other countries and cities around the world. She could appreciate the educational and cultural opportunities that Sister Cities offered.

She and Dr. Chuck had to curtail their traveling in recent years, but they had forged a unique relationship for two folks enjoying the winter seasons of their lives.

Karen always wanted to see the arts thrive in Fountain Hills, and she worked hard to help others find their creative juices as well.

Karen and Jim, thanks for your contributions and you’ll definitely be missed.