James H. "Jim" Major Jr.

James H. “Jim” Major, Jr., passed away peacefully at home on November 2, 2024, surrounded by family. Fittingly, this was on All Souls Day in his Catholic faith. He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years Eileen C. Major, of Cary, NC; son Scott and daughter-in-law Diane of Falls Church, VA; son Paul and daughter-in-law Wendy of St. Charles, IL; and daughter Stacey of Chapel Hill, NC. He is also survived by nine loving grandchildren Matthew (Melanie) of Batavia, IL; Andrew of Aurora, IL; Jimmy of Tampa, FL; Maya Murphy of Santa Barbara, CA; Emily Schaefer (Garrett) of Bremerton, WA; Haley of St. Charles, IL; Natalie of West Lafayette, IN; Ryan Murphy of Chapel Hill, NC; and Charlie of St. Charles, IL; as well as great-granddaughter Whitney of Batavia, IL. He is also survived by siblings Alma Healy of Naples, FL; Mary Porcello of South Amboy, NJ; Kevin (Carol) of Sag Harbor, NY; Craig (Ann) of Metuchen, NJ; and Dennis of North Brunswick, NJ; as well as dozens of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents Harvey and Margaret Major and siblings Patricia Solden, Marge Arace, Jackie Marsano and Roberta Rogers.

Jim was born April 28, 1937 in Newark, NJ. He grew up mainly in Newark but also lived in Keansburg, NJ for a few years while attending Leonardo High School. He served in the US Army from 1957-1959 in Texas and Germany, where he once crossed paths with Elvis Presley. Jim and Eileen met through mutual friends and were married at Sacred Heart Church in Newark on November 12, 1961. Scott came along in 1962, Paul in 1963 and Stacey in 1967.

Early in their married life, Jim took a position in sales with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. This led to a 37-year career with the company, with stints in various offices throughout New Jersey, as well as in Oklahoma and New York City. He retired in 1998 as a Vice President, one of his proudest accomplishments.

Jim and Eileen enjoyed a long and active retirement, first in Flemington, NJ and then in Cary, NC. They traveled the world, from Greenland to South Africa to the Holy Land and everywhere in between. Together they built a rich, vibrant social life and had countless good times with friends and family. And somehow, they seemed to never miss an important event in their children’s or grandchildren’s lives – birthdays, Communions, Confirmations, graduations and sporting events, they were always there.

To say Jim always enjoyed himself is an understatement. His late brother-in-law, Rob Murphy, once commented that he had “never attended a party with Jim where he didn’t act like it was thrown in his honor”. He was very much in his element with a beer in hand and a crowd around him. Only a few short months ago, Jim danced the night away as the life of the party at his granddaughter Emily’s wedding.

Jim loved sports and was a faithful fan of all things Notre Dame, the Yankees, and Villanova basketball. For many years, he and his grandson Jimmy collaborated on picks for their NFL football pool. In one of Jim’s final days, he and his sons Scott and Paul watched Notre Dame win big over Navy in the afternoon, and then watched the Yankees in the World Series that evening.

Jim was an avid pool player from a young age. When he and Eileen moved to Carolina Preserve 16 years ago, Jim quickly joined the Billiards Club and looked forward to playing every Monday and Thursday night with his friends. In recent months, he was joined by his grandson and best student Ryan, which made Jim very proud.

Jim had a passion for music, especially 50’s classics, and he loved cutting a rug with his best girl. Jim also loved to sing, which he did everywhere and often. Days before the end of his life, he surprised the family by singing “Happy Birthday” to his son Paul in a strong, clear voice. It is a voice that will be dearly missed.

Jim was often a man of contradictions. After vehemently rejecting cell phones for many years, he suddenly embraced technology at the urging of his granddaughter. When he discovered that texting was a great way to keep in touch with those he loved, he never looked back. His children, grandchildren, siblings, family and friends already deeply miss his 7 am texts.

Jim was a man of deep faith and led by example. He volunteered with his church, provided wise counsel and performed quiet acts of service for friends and neighbors. In the end, his faith gave him great peace and comfort.

Perhaps above all else, Jim was a collector – not of things, but of people. He never met a stranger and made true and loyal friends in every corner of his life. When you joined him at his favorite pub Doherty’s, on his morning walk through the neighborhood, or even at Harris-Teeter, it was like being with a celebrity; everyone knew him by name. He drew people in with his charm, quick wit and easy smile and kept them close with his kindness and sincerity. Jim saw the good in everyone and had a way of making people feel special and seen; he listened with his whole heart and without judgment. As his granddaughter Maya said, “He was my soulmate… but I think he was everybody’s soulmate.”

Jim was intelligent, thoughtful, loving, funny, accepting, compassionate and Hollywood-handsome. He lived an inspirational life filled with love, faith and purpose. His passing has left a huge void, but his memory will bring a smile to the countless people whose lives he touched. Rest in peace, Jim/Dad/Poppy.

A Rosary Prayer Service will be held on Wednesday evening, November 13, 2024 at 6:30 pm at Mother Teresa Catholic Church (1125 Mother Teresa Drive in Cary, NC), followed by light refreshments in the church narthex.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday morning, November 14, 2024 at 11:00 am at the church, followed by interment of ashes and military honors in the Memorial Garden. After the service, please join the family for lunch at Bradford Hall Clubhouse at Carolina Preserve (115 Allforth Place in Cary, NC).

For those unable to attend services on Wednesday or Thursday, the church is providing Live Streaming. The link to join may be found below within the service information box.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following: Mother Teresa Catholic Church (https://motherteresacary.org/give), Jim and Eileen’s parish in Cary, North Carolina; TABLE (https://tablenc.org/donate), a local non-profit focused exclusively on alleviating childhood hunger in Orange County, North Carolina

If anyone would like to say a few words about Jim, there will be an opportunity to do so either at the church on Wednesday evening after the Rosary or at the luncheon on Thursday.

If you would like to leave a favorite memory / story of Jim or a message of condolence to Eileen and Family, you may do so below within "Add a Memory".