The local real estate industry lost a visionary Friday.

Jim Zurn, a Jim Thorpe native who was sworn in as president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors on Jan. 20, died of a heart attack Friday at age 61."Jim was a valued member of the realtor family and he will be missed," said Justin Porembo, CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors . "Each of us not only grieves at the passing of a tremendous individual but also for the loss his family suffers."Zurn was an associate broker with Coldwell Banker Hearthside in Jim Thorpe and owner of Zurn Realty Group.His goals as GLVR president included regional expansion of services and property tax reform.In his induction speech last month, Zurn told the crowd "it is not acceptable when escrow taxes are surpassing mortgages."Cass Chies, broker-owner of RE/MAX Diamond 1st in Palmerton and GLVR president-elect, said Zurn will always be remembered for his big heart and willingness to do anything to help "his clients, our association and its membership.""It didn’t matter how much money he was making," Chies said. "He would give the farm away to make a transaction happen for both parties. Jim was never one to compliment himself. We have big shoes to fill losing him."Porembo and Chies noted that Zurn was a driving force behind the successful merger between the Carbon County Association of Realtors, where he served three consecutive terms as president, and Lehigh Valley Association of Realtors in 2014.The move came at a time when the National Association of Realtors was implementing changes to its core standards requirements and Carbon County’s accreditation was hanging in the balance."It wasn’t popular with everyone, but without Jim’s vision and him seeing the writing on the wall, Carbon County may have lost its charter," Chies said. "We now have more services and programs at our fingertips. The benefits were tremendous."Chris Raad, associate broker and realtor at Harvey Z. Raad Realtors in Allentown said though Zurn rarely smiled in pictures, it was a pleasure getting to know his lighter side."He was a true good guy that will be sorely missed by the Realtor family," he said in a Facebook post. "His passion and excitement for supporting the real estate industry and his community was always easily evident. I had the honor of getting to know the lighter and funnier side of the big, serious guy."Zurn will not only be remembered for his professional endeavors, but also his contributions in the community.Each year, he helped organize Jim Thorpe’s team for the Russell "Bups" Ahner Memorial Softball Game, which benefits a local child with health issues.According to a profile on the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors website, Zurn attended Bloomsburg University and worked for the Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England (PBNE) railroad, a subsidy of Bethlehem Steel, where he continued his education and assumed a supervisory position with the railroad.He purchased the operating rights of the Panther Valley Railroad, ultimately creating CNS Railroad where he became president and chief operating officer.He became a realtor in 2004 and received his brokerage license in 2011.Services for Zurn will be held on Tuesday at St. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, 260 N. 3rd St., Lehighton.Call is from 9 to 11 a.m. and will be followed by a Mass.