James Olander

James “Jim Boa” Olander, CTS, of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, peacefully slipped away in New Orleans, Mardi Gras day, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at the age of 67. The love of his life, soulmate and best friend, Virginia, never left his side. He was a wonderful and loving husband, father, grandfather and lifelong friend to many. Jim Boa’s bright light will be dearly missed by his loving wife of 28 years, Virginia, his son, John J. Olander, of Albany, New York, and his daughter, Rebekah Aronson (Nathan) of Metairie, Louisiana. His grandchildren will miss his kind and fun-loving personality: the apple of his eye, Benjamin Aronson, of Metairie, Louisiana and beautiful granddaughters Sarah and Emma Myers of New Orleans, Louisiana, all who called him Grampy BoBo.

Jim Boa was born in Albany, New York, February 1, 1955. He was the loving son of the late John J. Olander and Ruth Killian Olander of Albany, New York. He was predeceased by his older twin brothers, E. David Olander and Joseph Olander and his beloved Golden Retriever, Ella. He is survived by his sisters, Ruth Smith (Don) of Albany, New York, Carole Stevens (Jack) of Voorheesville, New York, Deborah Olander (Joseph Ferguson) of Andover, Massachusetts, and brother, David Olander (Caren) of Morristown, New Jersey. He is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews and cousins.

Leaving memories of a lifetime, he will be missed by family and extended family he so loved deeply including Fr. Sean “Brett” Duggan, Ellen & Ron Thompson, Mary & Tague Richardson, Blanche & Mat Gray, Cherry Bordelon, Scotty Walrath, Kathleen Anderson, Tom McGrath, Paul Duskin, Mike Stambler, Coach Markey, Gregory Davis, Fred Martinez, Patty & James Keating, M.D., Jackie Kidd, Nicolette Murphy, Liz Shaw, Livia Steffee and Christy Bradley. He will be missed by the families of Keith Donaldson, Walter Mc Williams, Raymond Isbell, Sam Williams, Townsend Myers, Mat Gray, Norma Bordelon, Robert LeBlanc, Bobby Azzerello, Jazz Fest, Harrah’s, and the Gulf Coast. Also, many who called Jim Boa a friend and colleague will miss his connections of problem solving, work ethic and presence.

How do you capture a life filled with adventure, skill, generosity and love? Growing up, he inherited the “Olander” humor from his family who provided him with an adventurous and loving childhood. His infectious smile and sunny disposition were his trademarks. Jim Boa, being a music lover and bass player, focused on what he loved and honed his skills as an Audio Engineer receiving a Certificate in Audio Engineering from SUNY, Fredonia. His amazing intuition kept telling him to move to New Orleans. In 1981, he packed his bags and drove to New Orleans without knowing one person in the Big Easy.

Shortly after arriving, he met Gary Edwards, an iconic figure in the New Orleans music scene. Gary saw promise in Jim Boa and hired him to help with his music business including providing gear to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1983. Boa’s easy-going manner, sense of humor, and infectious smile did not go unnoticed by those who met him at the Fair Grounds for Jazz Fest. He knew he was home. The rest is history.

Jim Boa continued his passion for music festivals, especially live music production, until his death. His greatest joy was working in the Music Production Department of Jazz Fest with his Jazz Fest Family. Working in concert with Home Team Productions, he helped create “Special Phorces” in the 1980s. Under his leadership, his “krewe” provided backline and troubleshooting for all stages at Jazz Fest. His Jazz Fest family is too numerous to list although you know who you are. Jim Boa also worked other festivals for Festival Productions in Philadelphia and Daytona Beach. Working with Festival Productions, he managed stages for two presidential inaugural celebrations in Washington, DC. Virginia would like to thank Quint Davis, Clarence Reginald Toussaint and Tague Richardson for being an important part of Jim Boa’s journey and life’s work.

In 1984, he was the Audio Supervisor for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. During the World’s Fair, he forged a friendship with another close friend, Gregory Davis, and they worked together throughout his life. In the late 1980s, he returned to Albany, NY, and worked at the Starlite Theater and Albany Theatre Supply, always returning each year to work at Jazz Fest and the city he dearly loved New Orleans.

In the summer of 1994, he worked at the “Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival” in New York City on his way back to New Orleans. Soon after, Boa met Virginia, a classical musician. Their combined love of all music graced their lives every day. Their first date was to Tipitina’s and they danced through life every day. Their common ground was anything by the Beatles who they grew-up listening to before meeting. George Porter Jr. took Boa to pick-up the ring when Jim Boa proposed to Virginia at the Jazz Fest office on Royal Street. According to all who know them, their marriage is a love story for the ages.

Boa continued his work with Festival Productions at Jazz Fest and the Essence Music Festival at the Louisiana Superdome in 1995. He also assisted Pace Systems for event productions and produced live music at the Storyville Jazz Hall in the French Quarter. Beloved by musicians and stage crews alike who worked with him at live music events for 40 years, when Boa was spotted on a stage, everyone knew they were in good hands. Boa’s work ethic was obvious to those he worked with. He lived by the words of John Lennon: “There are no problems, only solutions.”

In 1999, Harrah’s New Orleans Casino came calling because they needed someone to manage the Audio/Visual and event productions at their new casino. At Harrah’s, he hired, trained and mentored a great team to run the Audio-Visual department and special events at Harrah’s. During his time at Harrah’s, he studied for the national certification for CTS (Certified Technology Specialist), flew to Las Vegas, took the exam and passed on first try. In 2001, Harrah’s awarded him the HERO of the year (Harrah’s Employees Reaching Out) for volunteering the most hours in the New Orleans area for those who needed a helping hand.

After opening and being at Harrah’s for 15 years, he retired from Harrah’s on their 15th anniversary celebration with fireworks filling the New Orleans sky. Out of the many musicians Boa supported and produced at Harrah’s, the Earl Turner Show and Allen Toussaint’s 75th birthday celebration “A Tribute to Toussaint” at Harrah’s showroom were highlights of his time at Harrah’s adding to his contributions to the importance of live music.

In 2015, Jim Boa and Virginia retired and moved to Bay St. Louis to spend every minute together. Every day was an adventure, Boa made sure of it. Living in old town Bay St. Louis, they made new friends and neighbors, their Bay St. Louis family. On a daily basis, they cooked, road their bikes along the beach, played bridge and golf. Throughout their marriage, they traveled and for their 25th anniversary they drove the “Louisiana Purchase Tour,” a road trip of a lifetime. He decided to try his hand at gardening and succeeded planting many vegetables they enjoyed from his garden to their table. He was an avid reader and life-long learner. After moving to the Gulf Coast, he continued to commute to work Jazz Fest with his Jazz Fest Family being so important to him.

Their home is warm, comfortable and beautiful thanks to Jim Boa who painted it inside and out as he always had projects at home or helping friends with theirs. Jim Boa and Virginia are excellent cooks and wrote a cookbook together last year. One more thing: Boa was a collector and a rockhound. His loved Hawaiian shirts, colorful socks & hats for every occasion and beautiful bowties for steppin’ out. He collected rocks throughout all of their travels and used them to surround their gardens he so lovingly cared for.

Every Friday was “Rock ’n Roll Friday.” He could be seen working in the gardens and yard with music blaring from his garage. Jim Boa loved dogs and could be seen walking neighbors’ dogs around the Bay picking flowers for his “Baby.” His neighbors in Bay St. Louis called Jim Boa “The Happy Husband!”

After moving to the Gulf Coast, Jim Boa & Virginia joined the Hancock County Historical Society to learn about the history of Bay St. Louis and Hancock County, Mississippi. Never missing an opportunity to make a difference, they became active members in the Historical Society with Jim Boa providing sound for events and hands-on help for whatever needed to be done. In 2020, Jim Boa & Virginia began a 2-year project, producing a documentary film on the history of Hancock County that premiered on December 7, 2021, to a full house at the Silver Slipper. The film, “Connections Matter: An Oral History of the People and Places of Hancock County, Mississippi,” is a lasting legacy for locals and visitors to enjoy for years to come.

Jim Boa’s earthly journey is fascinating and always included this model: love hard, work hard, play hard, and give back with a helping hand whenever needed. Nothing he ever did was about him. Jim Boa would want everyone to enjoy life, be happy and take care of one another because connections matter.

To honor Jim Boa’s life, help someone in need or tell those you love what they mean to you. You may consider a donation to the Hancock County Historical Society in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Jim Boa is an example of a life well-lived who left this world a better place. There will be a tribute to Jim Boa at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Blues Tent to celebrate his amazing life.

Riemann Family Funeral Home, Waveland, served the family.