 | JAMES DILLSAVER
6/16/1947-12/27/2023
|  |
Memorial set at Henry's Hi-Life for beloved longtime bartender Jimmy Dillsaver, who held court at the iconic San Jose restaurant for 35 years.
When James Dillsaver retired as a bartender at Henry’s Hi-Life in 2019 after 35 years, the iconic San Jose restaurant was packed elbow to elbow. If you can imagine it, the crowd will probably be even bigger May 18 when the restaurant hosts a memorial for Dillsaver, known by all as Jimmy, who died at age 76 last December.
His son, David Dillsaver, said it should be an amazing celebration of his dad’s life. Jimmy Dillsaver was a Vietnam veteran who worked at AT&T before finding his place at Henry’s in the mid-1980s. I don’t know what he was like working for the phone company, but Dillsaver was filled with old-school charm behind the bar at the Hi-Life.
His bushy cowboy mustache and lanky frame were instantly recognizable from across the often-crowded bar. He saw the arena now known as SAP Center rise a few blocks away and served both Sharks players and their fans. He once threw out the first pitch at a San Jose Giants game and didn’t float away during the waters that flooded the Hi-Life in 1995.
David Dillsaver said his father died Dec. 17, 2023, after an illness in Grants Pass, Oregon, where both he and Dillsaver’s other son live.
“We are deeply saddened, but he was sick for a while and he went peacefully,” David Dillsaver said.