James T. Sealey

James Theodore Sealey was born on September 4, 1932, to Clarendon and Goldie Rice Sealey in Silver City Panama. He was the fourth of seven children. They lived a very modest life while his father worked alongside others to build the Panama Canal. When he was 16 his mother sold the family's Singer sewing machine for $75 to pay for his passage on a ship to New York City from Silver City, Panama. When he arrived, he lived with his older sister, Olga, her husband, Allen, and their three children, Amber, Marcelina, and Henry. He often spoke fondly of his time with them.

While living with his sister's family, he worked his way through school, earning a master's in education from NYU. In 1960, he married Dorothy Batson, who he met in church. They had three children, Kelvin, Gary, and Wendy. While raising his family, he applied himself and eventually became a principal at the NYC Dept of Education.

Later in life, after he retired from a career in education, he enjoyed many past-times, including collecting apple products, going to classical and jazz concerts, most notably, concerts at Lincoln Center, and dabbling in philanthropy, making gifts to educational institutions to honor his family, including his parents and deceased son, Gary. He also came to adore his grandson, Javier, who was the center of his world in his later years.

He died peacefully on May 22nd a few months before his 94th birthday.

He will be remembered fondly for his dedication to his family, his strict moral code, and reserved, sometimes gruff, manner which shielded his loving spirit.

A Committal Service will be held at Clover Leaf Memorial Park, 1 Cemetery Rd, Woodbridge Township, NJ 07095, US, on June 5, 2026, from 11:00 am to 11:30 am.