He was the youngest of five children. His father was a career Army officer, so the family moved a lot. Jim graduated from Concord High School in Concord, New Hampshire. He then attended the University of Oregon, where he received a Bachelor's degree in History. He joined the Army for two years. After being honorably discharged, Jim went back to the University of Oregon on the G.I. Bill and earned a Business degree. Jim eventually worked in the Collection Division of the Internal Revenue Service, from which he retired in 1991.
In 1967, Jim married Nancy Fountain in San Carlos, California. They were married for 53 years, when Jim passed away in May 2020. Together, they raised two children. James A Bagby, Jr. died in 2003, and Cindy Bagby lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband Tom and their son Jimmy. Due to a stroke, Jim spent the last year of his life in foster care, but he was still able to attend his daughter's wedding and Christmas celebrations.
When his son was young, Jim coached Little League baseball, and he later coached his daughter's softball team. He loved baseball and was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. As a child, Jim actually saw Babe Ruth play. He was in a Fantasy Baseball league for many years. He also loved college football and was a diehard Iowa Hawkeyes fan since age 8, when he first saw Nile Kinnick play. Jim loved to play golf and poker with friends, and he enjoyed tennis and softball in his earlier years.
On May 15, 2020, Jim died peacefully in his sleep. Due to Covid, we had to wait until a later time to have a funeral Mass for Jim. Jim had many friends and used to meet every Wednesday for coffee with some of them. He also had many nieces and nephews all over the U.S. and one in Melbourne, Australia. His family and friends meant the world to him.
Services will be held at Holy Trinity Church on Wednesday, August 31 at 11am.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18