Obituary: James Francis McNamara (Jim), 92, of North Branford

Obituary courtesy of Keenan Funeral Home:

Watch a video memorial about his life here.

James Francis McNamara (Jim) of North Branford left this world on Sunday November 26th to join his wife Marjorie after 34 years. James was born on December 9, 1930 in New Haven to parents James and Mary (Quinn) McNamara. He graduated from Hillhouse High School in 1948 and went on to join the US Army in 1949 where he served as a mechanic. Following an honorable discharge, Jim worked for Cosgrove Construction and Shapiro Construction, where he was the master mechanic. He was a proud member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 478 for over 40 years.

Jim married Marjorie (d.1989) in 1960 at St Aeden’s Church. The couple lived on Caputo Rd in North Branford for the entirety of their lives where they raised two sons. They spent 29 beautiful years together.

In his life, Jim kept busy with several hobbies. An avid fly fisherman, he enjoyed spending days catching trout on the Connecticut River; always catching to release. He could often be found practicing his cast in the backyard, no doubt preparing for an upcoming fishing trip to Ennis, Montana. If ever you wanted to know which bird was outside your window all you had to do was ask Jim. Jim, affectionately known as “Pop”, was a devoted grandfather. He spent his later years attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, always watching proudly from the sidelines. He was always delighted when one of his three grandkids walked into his den to visit; Pop was never short on stories. He could make four hours pass in a flash- full of banter, laughter and ultra specific details. He knew something about everything and never forgot a name.

Jim was a faithful member of the St Augustine parish for the entirety of his life.

He will be deeply missed by his sons James and Christopher, grandchildren Kelly (Andrew), Sean (Kirsten) and James, great-grandson Thomas, sisters Janet Gallante and Susan (Tom) Cook and his long time companion and friend Diane Farley.