Dr. James "Jim" Bolton Pyke

Jim was born on May 5, 1931, in St. Helen’s, Lancashire, England, the youngest child of James and Emma. As a boy, Jim was full of adventure. He played with his chemistry set, visited his pen pal in France (where he first tasted Armagnac and Camembert), and practiced walking on stilts — straight into a duck pond. Jim attended Manchester University, where he obtained graduate and doctoral degrees in chemistry. He studied for a postdoc at Syracuse University in New York. Afterwards, Jim considered expanding his adventures by moving to Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. Fortunately for his family, he settled in Akron, Ohio, working for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

He met Theresa Seman at a church picnic and married her in June, 1967. Jim and Terry had three children, Elizabeth, Suzy, and Jim. Later in life, he went on to obtain a masters degree in mechanical engineering. Passionate about sailing, he kept his sailboat, Red Rose, at South Shore Yacht Club, where he held offices of secretary, treasurer and vice-commodore. Post-retirement, he worked as an enrolled tax agent and volunteered his time at the local library, offering tax preparation support.

Jim is survived by his wife Terry, children Jim and Suzy, and his grandson Max. He will be ever remembered for his sense of adventure, dry humor and love for his family.

A joint funeral mass for Jim and his daughter, Elizabeth, will be held on June 28 at 11 a.m. at St. Hilary’s Parish in Fairlawn, Ohio, followed by burial at Rose Hill.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Elizabeth A. Pyke Prize in history at Rice University.