James L. Brown

James L. Brown, lifelong resident of Seneca Falls, passed at his home on Saturday, December 7th, 2024. In keeping with James’ wishes, a private service will be held at the convenience of his family. He will find final rest in St. Columbkille Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to Beverly Animal Shelter at beverlyanimalshelter.com.

James was born in Seneca Falls, son of the late Charles and Ina (Updyke) Brown. It was at his alma mater, Mynderse Academy, that he met the love of his life, Patricia Simolo. The couple were united in marriage on November 26th, 1959 at St. Patrick’s Church, while Jim was on a brief leave from the US Navy. He served his country proudly from 1959 until his honorable discharge in 1962. Early on in their marriage, the couple found themselves in Providence, RI due to James’ naval responsibilities but made it a point to get back to Seneca Falls to raise their family. He furthered his education at Auburn Community College, which was the steppingstone to launching his 20 year career at Goulds Pumps as an engineer. After retiring from Goulds, James took a position at Carrier Corporation, where he worked for another 10 years before once again retiring. His retirement was short lived though, as James ended up selling cars at Bill Cram for a few more years before finally deciding it was time to actually retire.

Jim always enjoyed working with his hands. He built the original family homestead himself, enjoyed woodworking, and was able to fix just about anything around the house that was in need of repair. He was a big Bills fan and a longtime coin collector, amassing a nice collection that he was able to pass onto his children just a few years ago. Jim’s biggest joy in life though was always his family. He was always a very loving husband, father, and grandfather, who enjoyed spending time with his family.

Jim is survived by his bride of 65 years, Patricia; daughters, Cynthia (Michael) Easton and Jacquie Miller; son, James (Michelle) Brown; granddaughters, Maddison Brown, Holley Miller, and Kiley Easton; grandsons, Justin (Jessica) Brown, Ben Easton, and Jacob Easton; sister, Joan Hughes; brother-in-law, John (Dottie) Simolo, as well as several greatgrandchildren, nieces, nephews, and extended family. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Joyce Utz, and a brother, Harold Brown.