CHICOPEE – Alma M. (Bourgeois) James, 72, of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Friday, February 19, 2016. She passed into Eternal Life at her home surrounded by the care and comfort of her loving family. She was born in Springfield on January 22, 1944, a beloved daughter of the late Albert J. and Mary E. (Romanovicz) Bourgeois. She was raised on Alfred Street in the North End section of Springfield and graduated from Brightwood Elementary School and the High School of Commerce, both in Springfield. She lived in Springfield and later in Ludlow before moving to Chicopee in 1969. She was last employed as a Vocational Teacher’s Aide for the Chicopee School System working at Litwin Elementary School and Chicopee Comprehensive High School before retiring in 2008. She was previously employed at the Dow Jones Company in Chicopee. She enjoyed traveling with her husband, Fred, to their Aruba beach home, Myrtle Beach, SC, Mount Rushmore, Australia, Maine, Las Vegas and San Francisco. During her leisure time, she was a wonderful cook and enjoyed preparing many different dishes for her family and her many friends. Most of all, she was a wonderful wife, mother and Mimi who showered her family with her love and affection which was returned to her a thousand fold. She leaves her beloved husband and best friend, Fred P. James. They were married on June 3, 1967 at the former Saint Thomas Aquinas Church in Springfield and were blessed with over 48 years of happiness together. She also leaves her two loving children, Mary Lou James-Getz, DVM and her husband, D.J. Getz, of Rock Hill, SC, and Christopher M. James and his wife, Maryann James, of West Sand Lake, NY; her two cherished grandsons who affectionately called her Mimi, Ryan J. Getz and Michael J. Getz; and her many dear cousins, friends and extended members of the Bourgeois families. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday morning, February 24, 2016 beginning at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels, (413-532-9806), 13 Dale Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 8:30 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Sainte Rose de Lima Church, 600 Grattan Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her burial will follow the Mass at Sainte Rose Cemetery, 49 Olsen Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Tuesday February 23, 2016 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The parking lot and main entrance are located in the rear of the funeral home at 20 Lafayette Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her family has requested that memorial donations be made in her memory to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children, (Specify Springfield), 516 Carew Street, Springfield, MA 01104. For more details, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com