James Waterman III, of Bedford, born June 8, 1941 in Miami to James and Marion Waterman of Greenfield, Massachusetts, died peacefully on October 30, 2016 after a long, courageous battle with cancer.
During World War II, the family moved back to Greenfield, where “Jim” grew up and graduated from Greenfield High School, class of 1959. He has lived in Bedford since 1978.
Jim is survived by his wife of 38 years, Judith, of Bedford; five children: James Waterman IV of Manchester, Karen Niemyer of Andover and her twin sons, Jesse and Garrett; Andrea Leary and her sons Joshua and Joseph Leary of Methuen, Massachusetts and Bedford; William and Brenda Kinney of Manchester and their children, Christopher Kinney of Salem, Massachusetts, and Katelyn Beaudry and husband Ben of Manchester; Scot and Rania Kinney of Bedford and daughters Makaela and Alia. His parents, who predeceased him, owned the FH Brown Company in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Jim was very involved in sports growing up, including being a member of the 1959 Valley League Champions in Baseball. He attended Northeastern and Boston Universities and graduated from BU in 1965.
He spent many years in his chosen field of broadcasting and communications working at various locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. While in Boston, he worked for WEEI, a CBS property.
Following his years in active broadcasting control, he entered the field of computerized broadcasting, from analog to digital technology. He was fortunate to be able to travel throughout North America. He had many favorite projects in this field, but one of his most favorite was being actively involved in the development and building of Sirius Satellite Radio in New York City.
His work involved many large projects in Canada and Mexico as well as the US. Another favorite project was the development of one of the first “mega-broadcast”groups called Capstar, which eventually joined forces with Clear Channel Communications to be one of the largest communications companies in the world.
He had the privilege of attending the top broadcasting trade shows throughout North America, including over 50 in Las Vegas.
Jim lead a full life. He loved his time spent in Greenfield, his time growing up on Lake Wyola, fishing in the Florida Keys, going to Red Sox spring training in Florida, and his many games as a season ticket holder at Fenway Park. He loved his ham radio (K1LHT) and was a member of the American Radio League for over 50 years.
As a couple, Jim and Judy loved traveling to the Southwest and developed a passion for Native American art and became avid collectors. In later years, they enjoyed several cruises to the Caribbean with family members.
He dearly loved his wife Judy and the “blended family” they both created with great success in 1978. Their children and grandchildren have been the highlight of their lives.
Calling hours were held on November 7 at the Lambert Funeral Home and Crematory in Manchester. A funeral service was celebrated on November 8 in the funeral home chapel.
Donations may be made in his memory to the Manchester VNA Hospice Program, 1070 Holt Ave, No. 4, Manchester NH 03109; or to the American Cancer Society, 2 Commerce Drive, No. 110, Bedford NH 03110. To send an online message of condolence, visit LambertFuneralHome.com.