James E. Fitz-Simon Sr.

James was born in Brockton, MA on December 10, 1936, the son of John A. Fitz-Simon, Sr. and Flora C. (Barnes) Fitz-Simon. He was a 1954 graduate of Cranston High East in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Shortly after graduation he was drafted in the U.S. Army and served several tours from February, 1955 to June, 1968. He served with the 1st Cavalry Division in An Khê Vietnam and earned the Bronze Star along with other awards. After returning from Vietnam he was ROTC Instructor at LSU in Baton Rouge LA.

In 1955, while stationed in Albuquerque, NM, he met the love of his life, Arlene Ortega. They were married on April 6, 1957 in Vicenza, Italy and have been married for 60 years. They have four children, James Jr.; Julie; Judi and Eddie.

In 1968, following his military obligations, James went to work for the Peerless Insurance Company’s Connecticut Branch. In 1972, his job with Peerless found him relocating to Keene where he has resided for the past 45 years. Prior to his leaving Peerless, he was the Assistant Secretary Director of their Internal Auditing Department.

He earned his B.S. Degree from Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, NH in 1978.

In July 1976, Jim and his wife, Arlene, opened Curry Copy Center and after 30 years turned it over to their son Eddie.

In 1985, Jim and Arlene purchased 3 Hallmark stores in Milford, NH; the Riverside Plaza in Keene; and Tildens Hallmark on Main Street in Keene. They opened a 4th store in Walpole, NH, and in 1991 they opened a store in Rindge, NH.

Jim was a lifetime member of Keene VFW Post 799 and the Gordon Bissell American Legion Keene Post #4. He was a Corporator with the Savings Bank of Walpole; and a member of The Presidents Counsel at Franklin Pierce University, Rindge.

He is survived by his wife, Arlene (Ortega) Fitz-Simon of Keene; son, James E. Fitz-Simon, Jr. and his wife, Cheryl, of Cocoa, FL; daughter, Julie A. Wilette and her husband, Scott, of Swanzey, NH; daughter, Judi L. Sievers-Mills of Jackson, TN; son, Eddie J. Fitz-Simon, Sr. and his wife, Heather, of Keene; seven grandchildren, Jimmy and Travis Sievers, Jeffrey and Jason Russell, Megan and David Fitz-Simon and Eddie J. Fitz-Simon Jr.; 3 great-grandchildren, Yazmin and Yaliana Sievers and Nathan Coffey; a brother, Jerrold V. Fitz-Simon of Keene; two sisters, Judith H. Moretti of Fairhaven, MA, Joyce M. Townsend of Many, LA; and his beloved dog, Misty. Jim is predeceased by his father John A. Fitz-Simon, Sr.; his mother Flora (Barnes) Fitz-Simon; and two brothers, John A. Fitz-Simon, Jr. and Thomas A. Fitz-Simon.

A liturgy of the word will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 1:00PM in St. Margaret Mary Church, 33 Arch Street, Keene. Burial with full military honors will follow in the Monadnock View Cemetery, Park Avenue, Keene. Family and friends are invited to call on Wednesday from 10:00AM to 12:00PM at the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Monadnock Humane Society, 101 West Swanzey Road, West Swanzey, NH 03446.