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DAYTON — Jim Turvene "was a man of great faith," Joe Staley said. "He was a tough, tough man and extremely demanding. And yet, everybody who played for him, to a man, admired him."

It wasn't just because Turvene won, which he did as boys basketball coach at Chaminade High School. He also coached at West Carrollton. He was a tough guy who demanded discipline and was so organized, Staley said, "He could tell you what we were going to be doing five weeks later."

Staley played for Turvene at what became Chaminade-Julienne and later coached with him at West Carrollton, which is why it was so tough on him Tuesday, June 24, when he found out his mentor died from liver cancer just after midnight.

"He always said, 'You better be right with the man upstairs,' " Staley said, indicating Turvene was. "I remember lots of speeches. I always looked forward to his pregame, halftime and after-the-game speeches. He was really inspirational. He always had a theme, and he always inspired his players."

Shirley Turvene said her husband of 53 years willed himself to live through some milestones he wanted to reach. He made it past his 74th birthday, his wedding anniversary and last weekend, the college graduations of his two eldest of five grandchildren, Ben Noble and Stephanie Turvene.

"He had a good life," Shirley said. "He had a lot of visitors — his old students — and when he was done at the party (of his grandkids), he said, 'I've done it.' He passed away before the horrible pain could get him. His last words to me were, 'I love you.' "

Staley now coaches where Turvene had his greatest success, at C-J, where Turvene won two big-school championships in 1966 and 1970, finishing 26-1 in 1966 and 27-0 in 1970.

It was just three years after that last championship that Turvene left C-J, which was experimenting in allowing students to be a little less disciplined than before. The administration didn't want Turvene to be so disciplined, and that was the only way he knew how to coach.

"I teach at C-J today," Staley said, "and that was an episode in the history of our school that is really, really regretted."

Sometimes a regret turns into something good. Turvene was at Chaminade because, Shirley Turvene said, "he was coaching at Miamisburg and a head coaching position came up and they told him they wouldn't hire him because he was Catholic. So he left for Chaminade."

Turvene took over from Tom Frericks, who became athletic director at UD. Turvene also became a member of C-J's Hall of Fame.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.