James "Jim" Gordon Sternburg, 95 of Urbana died at 7:40 a.m. Friday, April 11, 2014 at the Meadowbrook Healthcare Center, Urbana.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Urbana; Rev. Fr. Joseph Hogan will officiate. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Urbana. Visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Monday at Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory, Urbana.

Jim Sternburg was born on February 22, 1919 in Chicago, the son of Paul Charles and Eva Schild Sternburg. He married Margaret Eileen Mayer on November 27, 1954 in Urbana; she died on March 1, 1989.

Jim grew up in Wellsville, New York and Glen Ellyn, Illinois. During WWII he served as a Photographer's Mate First Class in the US Navy, Atlantic Fleet. Following discharge (1945), he enrolled in the University of Illinois and by 1952 had earned his Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees. He joined the UI Department of Entomology's faculty in 1955 and had a very long and productive association there with the distinction of working with all but one of the heads of the department, which was formed in 1909. His early research focused on how insects become resistant to insecticides. During the course of this work he observed that the extensive work with DDT to save the campus elms was killing birds on the quad, making one of the first observations of the environmental effects of overuse of insecticides. Later research focused on insect mimicry which was featured in National Geographic and textbooks. He retired as a Professor in 1988, after publishing dozens of papers, teaching many students, and guiding dozens of graduate student.

He loved both teaching and field research, always fondlyrecalling field trips with Department and Illinois Natural History Survey friends and colleagues, never working a day in his life. We should all be so fortunate. A lifelong passion was photography and he created an extensive library of insect photos used in teaching. During his retirement, he was a co-author of four Illinois Natural History field guides on Illinois' butterflies, skippers, silkmoths and sphinx moths.

Jim was an avid gardener, with a wonderful "green thumb" and greatly enjoyed keeping fish, raising orchids and fly fishing. He stayed very active into his very later years and continued to enjoy the outdoors. He participated in many conservation activities including prairie restoration projects, and was a long-time treasurer of the local chapter of the Izaak Walton League, member of the Champaign Area Native Fish Exchange, Inc. and the Central Illinois Orchid Society. He was a long time member of St Patrick's Catholic Church.

His family was a very important part of his life. Jim greatly influenced his children which can be seen in the careers they chose, two university teachers and one zoologist. He is survived by his children Ginny (Pete) Elder, Cove, Oregon; Thomas Sternburg, Champaign, IL, and Janet Sternburg, Jefferson City, Missouri; four grandchildren, Elijah (Laura); Dakota (Kaila); Gabriel; and Erin; one great-grandson, nephews and nieces; brother Charles Sternburg, Thousand Oakes, CA, and his cat Sam and many fish.

The family expresses their gratitude to the many individuals who have cared for their father and provided comfort and support to him during these past couple of years, including the staff at Clark- Lindsey Village, Meadowbrook Health Center, Diversified Health Care, Alpha Care and the many CNAs, nurses and doctors.

Memorial contributions may be made to Illinois Natural History Survey, St. Patrick's Catholic Church or the University of Illinois Foundation.

Condolences may be offered at www.renner-wikoffchapel.com.