Mother of Man Who Died in Mentor Fire Describes Him as Generous, Friendly

The mother of the man who died Friday in a fire at a Mentor print shop described him as a generous person who wouldn't hesitate to help others.

James Omersa Jr., 43, died in the fire that broke out just after 5:15 a.m. at the Print Shack on East Avenue.

A passerby reported the fire at 5:19 a.m. Firefighters arrived at the scene and had the fire under control in 23 minutes, police said. It appears the fire was accidental but its cause has not yet been determined, officials said Friday afternoon.

Firefighters found Omersa's body while searching the building.

Omersa had many friends and was generous, once donating materials for fliers and posters to raise money for a young girl who had cancer, his mother Linda Omersa said in a phone interview with cleveland.com.

"Jimmy was well-liked," she said. "He was a good-hearted kid. This is such a shock."

James Omersa Sr. founded the business three decades ago. Linda Omersa inherited the business from her husband when he died in 2008. She passed the family business on to her son.

Omersa had been living at the business with his two dogs. The dogs, a German shepherd and a German shepherd/pit bull mix, also died in the fire. Neighbors said Omersa kept to himself but was friendly and could be seen walking with his dogs.

Omersa worked long hours at the Print Shack, often late into the night, his mother said.

"Jimmy was really good at what he did," she said.

Omersa was divorced with one daughter. He also leaves behind a sister and a brother, his mother said.