James oliver Mathers

MATHERS, James Oliver. Jim, also known as Jamie to family and childhood friends, was born on January 29, 1946, in northern Virginia and grew up in Dunn Loring. He attended James Madison High School in Vienna and then Marietta College in Ohio, where he met his future wife, Constance Jones. During the Vietnamese War, he served in the United States Army as a lieutenant based in Darmstadt, Germany. He earned an MBA at the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He worked for many years for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington as a computer systems analyst in the accounting office, even after he and his wife moved to a home near Ashland in 1987. Jim was a good clarinet player and he was a leader in amateur bands, first in Vienna and then in the Richmond area, where for many years he played in the Hanover Concert Band and more recently also in the Henrico Concert Band, the Richmond Pops Band and the Richmond Clarinet Choir. He was excited to be taking lessons from Ralph Skiano, principal clarinet player of the Richmond Symphony. He composed music, including a frequently performed march entitled Hanover Salute. He and his wife were active square dancers starting in 2002. Jim fell from a ladder in October, 2012, and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Although he totally recovered cognitively, he became susceptible to catching pneumonia, which killed him on May 7, 2014. He is survived by his wife; his brother, Thomas of Old Saybrook, Conn.; his nephew, David Mathers of Manassas; and four other nieces and nephews. No memorial service has yet been planned. His wife thanks friends for their prayers, messages and visits, and she requests that donations made in his memory be sent to the Hanover Concert Band, c/o Carol Dean, 7409 Kelshire Trace, Mechanicsville, Va. 23111.Arrangements under the direction of Woody Funeral Home-Atlee Chapel, Mechanicsville, VA.