James M. Dermody ’61
James M. Dermody, Pensacola, FL, died August 26, 2024.
He was born in Bronx, NY. From great adventures as a young boy at Yankee Stadium to a bit of straightening out by the brothers at St. Raymond’s, Jim was off and running at a young age. The Dermody family later moved to Bennington, VT, and upon graduating from Bennington High School, he enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War. Jim served honorably and was awarded The Soldiers Medal for heroism after pulling a fellow airman from a burning plane in 1954. He would later credit the structure, discipline and honor of serving his country with changing the trajectory of his life.
Jim loved aviation and continued flying as a navigator in the Vermont Air National Guard while using the GI Bill to attend Saint Michael’s, and while a student, he met his wife, Ann, then a student at Trinity College. They married in 1960.
Jim continued as an Air Force reservist officer until his retirement as a lieutenant colonel in 1984. His professional career with the Federal Aviation Agency began with a telegram offering him a position in Washington D.C. as an air traffic control specialist on April 16, 1962.
He had an amazing 34-year career with the FAA including assignments in Washington, D.C., Alaska, Oklahoma and ultimately as a leader of the Great Lakes Region in Des Plaines, Illinois. He loved traveling the nation in service of aviation and had friends all around the country. Jim especially enjoyed his many fun years representing the FAA at the annual EAA air show in Oshkosh, WI.
Jim and Ann enjoyed a long and wonderful retirement traveling between their beloved home on Lake Champlain in Vermont and their special condo at the Aliki in Flagler Beach, FL. Jim enjoyed many years of softball with his friends in Flagler and loved golfing, especially later in life with his late brother Tom.
While in Vermont, he loved his morning Coffee Klatch crew at the West Addison General Store, golfing at Basin Harbor, strawberry pancakes (extra whip cream) at The Halfway House and fun times with family at the lake. He was also well known for his colorful and poignant letters to the editor, some of which occasionally found their way into the Daytona News Journal and other publications.
During the last several years of his life, Jim expressed his gratitude on numerous occasions for the many caregivers who assisted him including At Home Senior Care and Addison Home Health and Hospice in Vermont, Cedarhurst in Illinois and the staff at The Blake and People’s Hospice in Pensacola, FL. Jim was full of life, and will be remembered for his smile, stories and strong character.
Jim is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ann (Berry), a son, a daughter, a brother, three sisters and extended family. He will be honored by family and friends at a date to be determined in the summer of 2025 with a Mass and celebration of his life at his home on Lake Champlain.