Obituaries

In Memoriam: Longtime Fair Havenite Jim Wilson, 91

When Death’s dark stream I ferry o’er,
A time that surely shall come
In Heaven itself I’ll ask no more
Than just a Highland welcome.

A Highland Welcome
Robert Burns, Scottish poet

Longtime Fair Havenite James “Jim” Wilson passed away on Feb. 16 in the comfort and care of his wife and caregivers. He was 91.

Born in 1933 in a small village in east Ayrshire, Scotland, Jim graduated from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and emigrated to Canada and then to the United States in search of job opportunities the start of a new life with his wife, Sybil.  

He attended graduate school at New York University and eventually settled in Fair Haven where he and Sybil raised their family on the idyllic cul de sac of Grange Walk.  

Jim Wilson at his longtime home on Grange Walk in Fair Haven
Photo/Wilson family

“There, Jim enjoyed gardening and working on projects around the house. He excelled at fixing things, including clocks, and enjoyed collecting and repairing old clocks as a hobby. 

“Jim liked staying active and being outdoors, finding peace and harmony sailing and canoeing on the Navesink River.”   

Family of Jim Wilson

A mechanical engineer, Jim was a distinguished member of technical staff at Bell Laboratories in Holmdel. 

Jim was predeceased by: his parents, John and Agnes Wilson; his sister, Anna Nisbet; his son, David Wilson; and his daughter, Fiona Wilson Philips. 

Jim is survived by: his wife, Sybil, of 67 years; his daughter, Jennifer Wilson Jaskowiak, and son-in-law, John Jaskowiak, of San Diego, CA; daughter-in-law, Jenny Wilson, of Austin, TX; son-in-law, James Phillips, of Burbank, CA; four grandchildren, Boris, Madeline, Gavin, Sophie; and extended family and friends across the U.S. and internationally.  

No services are planned as per Jim’s wishes. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation in Jim’s memory to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.  

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