James Shannon Tisdale, 56, of Burbank, California passed away on May 17, 2018. James was born at Fort Knox on a cold but sunny Sunday, February 10th, 1963. He was a beautiful, happy, and always smiling blond-haired kid. His smoldering dark brown eyes always held a twinkle of mischief and excitement. James was an innocent child with the whole world ahead of him. Like you. Like me. He was 6 when his mother died and he was greatly impacted by this loss. Throughout his life, he referred to her often and with great sadness. James suffered many inexcusable traumas in his childhood as did many of his siblings. He struggled with the damage these caused, unable to overcome or forget. His daily life and interactions with friends and family were often subject to the resulting anger and rage. - But let us not forget that he did not choose to be broken, he did not choose to have mental illness. He was once an innocent child. Like you. Like me. Throughout it all, James had a brilliantly sharp sense of humor. He always gave generously and shared his love with the less fortunate. He was intensely passionate about many things: Joel, Granny, his mom, LuLu, his garden, friends, baking, traveling and more. Fate intervened when he met Joel Brouwer, his angel, friend, caretaker, financier, and the love of his life. Throughout all of the struggles with James's illness, Joel never gave up, always helping and hoping and selflessly putting James first. Joel has proved to be the sort of person we all aspire to be. He has been an immeasurable blessing and part of James's life. We are forever grateful. Let us remember who James was underneath that curtain of pain. Let us remember his successes. Let us imagine what could have been.