Jim died June 19, 2021, at home in Troy, N.Y., of complications from myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone-marrow malfunction.

Having grown up in in Berea and Olmsted Falls, Ohio, near Cleveland, Jim spent two years at Phillips Exeter Academy, two more at Princeton, and then qualified for the Marine Aviation Cadet program. He served in combat in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261, known as the Raging Bulls, who were based in Da Nang and later on the USS Valley Forge.

Toward the end of active duty, he met coach Woody Hayes, who urged him to finish his studies in math and computer science at Ohio State. Jim then worked in Cleveland, where he met his future wife, Jane. In the 1970s they joined the Peace Corps and worked nearly four years in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was a computer programmer and systems analyst for national surveys at the Central Bureau of Statistics. That led to a career in survey data processing, providing technical support and training in statistics offices in 16 sub-Saharan African countries. After many years living and working overseas, including in England and France, and in the Washington metro area, Jim and Jane moved to upstate New York. 

Jim loved being outdoors — cycling, hiking, rugby, running, soccer, tennis, and cross-country skiing. He was an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction, listened to all types of music, liked to cook, and insisted on mowing lawns with a push mower. Blessed with an impish sense of humor, he relished spirited discussions with friends and family while sharing good beer or wine and tasty food. He loved prime numbers and plays on words. 

Jim is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Jane; brother Bob; and sister Judy.