By Peter Roos Captain Jim Myers began “Ringing of the Sunset Bell” in Pass-a-Grille on March 27,1996. Visitors were honored to ring the bell and have their names recorded in a log book for years.
The self-proclaimed “Head Ding Dong” recruited his own replacement, Jim LeBlanc, who took the tradition to the next level by putting it on Facebook. See Ding-Dong Sunset at Pass-a-Grille. Sunset enthusiasts celebrated the passing of the lanyard Pass-a-Grille style, with a retirement party on Jim’s 21st anniversary. He had seen over 7000 sunsets in Pass-a-Grille in the past 21 years.
The “Head Ding Dong” retired from sunset bell duty on his 21st anniversary in 2017. He had about five good years after that. Jim Myers passed peacefully in his sleep on July 7, 2024, according to Susan Myers, Jim’s first and third wife. “I took care of him at home as long as possible, then a nursing home and eventually hospice took over,” said Susan.
Jim is remembered for his generosity, his sense of humor and much more. His nurses said he was one of the funniest patients ever. I remember a little about our first experience with Jim. For years he had a very nice older boat on a lift near the Bayway Bridge, two blocks from the Don Cesar. When we approached Jim about being in the city’s lighted boat parade, he was on board with it. Our plan was to have a new Elvis impersonator in the area sing Elvis’ holiday tunes from the bow, as an introduction to the community. It worked really well except that, as it often does, the boat parade fell on the coldest night of the year. While we were toasty with Captain Jim in the cabin, poor Bruce Nye, the Elvis Guy, was meeting the full force of his first Florida winter on the foredeck. Luckily many Maine winters had prepared him for that.
According to Captain Jim Myers’s wishes, his body was cremated and his ashes will be spread over the Gulf where he supervised the ringing of the Sunset bell for 21 years. He will be remembered in his very casual way, Sat. Nov. 2 at the Sunset Bell at sunset, Jim’s favorite time of day.