Sparta, New Jersey
(1938 – 2020)
On Saturday, May 23, 2020 at approximately 5:00 AM, James Brian D’Arcy went home to be with his Lord and Savior in heaven. He was 82 years old.
He was born on February 16, 1938 in his grandmother’s house in St. Albans, NY (Queens) the first child of James and Dorothy (Smith) D’Arcy.
He was also known as Jim, Jay, Brian, Grandpa, Papa, Pop and Grandpa Shortcut. He would always say “I don’t care what you call me, just don’t call me late for supper”.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Bette (Bernadette Rakoczy) D’Arcy (1937-1993), his granddaughter Jessica Masten-Barry (1984-2016) and his son-in-law Mike Collins (1957-2019).
He is survived by his sister Jane Bianchini (Eugene) and brother Gerald (Carol); his seven children Jamie (Paula), Jeanine Masten (Paul), Diane Collins, Vicky, Phyllis Surdoval (Jack), Thomas (Maria) and Bernadette Carter (Christopher); his 10 grandchildren (Jennifer, Elizabeth, Amanda, Danielle, Cindy, John Patrick, Christopher, Lachlan, Katherine and Matthew) and his eight great-grandchildren (Micheal, Kylee, Lindsey, Samantha, Brianna, Hannah, Jesse and Hunter).
From an early age he was an explorer and a budding entrepreneur, always on the search for a way to make a good life. Street smarts over book smarts, he left school at a young age and served a short stint in the Navy. He explored varied career paths, often finding an opening to start ‘his own thing’ wherever he could, such as working in the clothing district and driving a taxicab in NYC, working for the railroad, installing pools, installing oil tanks, the forestry department, snow removal, running a crew installing field irrigation, installing and maintaining commercial HVAC systems, selling and repairing pellet stoves and while living in Montana he even tried his hand at ranching.
In his 30s he traded alcohol and the fast-paced lifestyle of the east coast for a new life out west - where he found what he had been searching for in The Lord. As a born-again Christian, he was ordained as a minister and spreading the word of God became his primary objective. His faith remained a staple that sustained him throughout the rest of his life.
He loved to hit the road for long leisurely drives but also had the need for speed. Grandpa Shortcut’s shortcuts were never shorter! There are many car stories from his passengers and they always contain the words “speeding and terrifying”. Nowadays everyone has a good laugh over those memories.
He lived in many places: Queens, the Bronx, Long Island, Montana, Oregon, and New Jersey. He built two houses for his family during his lifetime. The first was in Medford, NY and the second was a vertical log cabin on a mountainside in Kila, Montana.
The one constant and most important thing to him was his family, and that includes the friends that became part of the family.
As the patriarch of the D’Arcy family he always orchestrated family gatherings. He loved when we all got together; the more the merrier. Every birthday and holiday (and any excuse for a special occasion) he would say “Who’s coming over? What are we eating? Who’s making what?”. These times always consisted of good food and more importantly, lots and lots of storytelling and laughter. Even when he left this earth, he managed to get his children together during a pandemic!
He was loved by all who had the honor of meeting him. Everyone loved to listen to his stories. No matter who he met and talked with, he always had a good story to tell and made each person feel like an old friend. He loved debating any topic, a good joke and discussing new ways to do the same old task.
He was a child of God, a patriot, a family man and a friend to all who met him.
We look forward to hearing your memories and stories of Jim/Jay/Brian.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, no services will be held at this time. We plan on having a memorial service when it is safe to get together in person.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity in memory of James Brian D'Arcy.
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