On June 27th, 2025 James Alexander Harris died peacefully in his sleep, two days after turning 91 years old.
James (known to most as Jim) was born in New York City in 1934, the only son of Marjorie and Theodore; his father sadly died at the age of 28, when he was only two.
Growing up without a father, Jim needed to find his own way from a very young age; this lead him on a life of adventures (and some misadventures including one involving his half-brother Chuck and a small boat off of Coney Island).
After attending PS 6 on New York’s posh upper east side, Jim went on to boarding school in Connecticut when he was in the 7th grade and then to preparatory school at Lawrenceville in New Jersey, where he excelled on the swim team. He summered in Maine at various camps and with his family, leading to a lifelong love of the rugged beauty of this state.
After Lawrenceville, he went up to New Haven to study at Yale University as a member of Davenport College. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Yale in 1956, having spent his junior year abroad studying at the University of Florence as part of a Smith College foreign study program. As the only male in a group of 8 students, this year of academic study and learning about life sparked a lifelong love for all things Italian and the joy of travel. After graduating from college, Jim traveled back to Europe aboard the Queen Mary with his grandparents. During this trip, he honed his skills as a photographer, developing a keen eye and a deep appreciation of style.
Prior to this trip, Jim had met Elaine Cynthia Pestey during his senior year at Yale. Following a courtship that included meals at esteemed New York culinary institutions such as the Carnegie Deli and Barney Greengrass, they married at the Sherry Netherland in New York City in 1958. The couple moved to the Great Lakes where Jim was stationed as a lieutenant in the US Navy. As the sixties began, Jim and Elaine returned to New York City to start a family. Notwithstanding their eventual divorce in the seventies, Jim and Elaine’s affection for each other remained unabated for the rest of their lives, often sending each other gifts, flowers and thoughtful notes until Elaine’s death on Christmas Day in 2002. Back in New York, Jim began his career in retail as a buyer for the national department store, JC Penny’s.
His first son, Theodore, was born shortly after Jim and Elaine’s return from the midwest to New York, and then, a few years later, James Jr., came along. They lived on the upper east side, across from Central Park in the same building as his mother, who resided in the penthouse with her husband Lewis Turner.
As a buyer for a national department store based in New York, Jim traveled several times to Japan and Hong Kong to meet with corporate executives and visit manufacturing facilities.
Seeking professional and personal opportunities and yearning to experience living as an adult outside of the city he grew up in, Jim moved to Framingham, Massachusetts to take a job as a sporting goods buyer for a New England based department store. After a few years of this, he embarked on a new adventure, partnering with Harvey Felton and together they became Felton-Harris Associates, representing manufacturers from Wilson to Outdoor Products and many other companies selling sporting goods equipment to “mom and pop” stores and small box department stores throughout the Northeast.
Jim loved the autonomy of being his own boss and keeping his own hours; he also loved driving to meet clients all over New England and finding special deals along the way. He and Harvey worked the roads for over three decades.
He married his second wife, Susan, in 1980, and moved into her house in Natick. He lived happily with Susan and her two sons, Brian and Jed, until they left home for college. He particularly enjoyed summer vacations on the Cape with Susan, her sons and their spouses (Brian and Caryn, Jed and Vivi), and their respective children, Evan, Lauren and Thomas.
He also loved his two grandchildren, Alexandra and Otto. He and Otto shared a special bond over their mutual passion for sports. And he loved his brothers Chuck and Lewis, and their respective wives (Joan and Beth) and children, John, Jenny and Emily (whom he particularly enjoyed visiting at Dartmouth when he had business in New Hampshire).
When not working, he loved travelling all over the world with Susan, including seeing relatives and friends in London and visiting his beloved cousin Francine at her summer residence in Dordogne. One of his favorite and last big trips was to Jed and Vivi’s wedding in Brazil.
Jim and Susan had a joint love of sports–especially playing and watching golf and attending (in person or via television) New England Patriots’ games.
Jim lead a full life driven by his passions — for sports (the Yankees, the Celtics, and, of course, the Patriots), collecting (from knives, flashlights and watches to audiophile equipment), reading great American authors, such as Fitzgerald and James, watching the latest films as well as the classics. He loved a good drink and was pouring his own beverage of choice until a week before he left us.
Graveside Service at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham Street, Sharon, MA on Tuesday, July 01 at 11:45AM. Those attending services should meet behind the administration building on the cemetery grounds prior to services.
A celebration of James’s life will be held at a later date for family and friends to gather and share memories of a life well lived.
To celebrate his life, please pour yourself a beverage of choice, and consider making a donation to his alma mater, Yale University in Jim’s name, by check made payable to “Yale University”, sent to the Yale Office of Development at PO Box 2038, New Haven, CT 06521, or by telephone at 800-395-7646.
Leave a Condolence