James ”Jim” Delaney Platt Okie, Jr., passed away Tuesday, December 27, 2011 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. His wife, Rowena, and his two children, Lauren and Jason were by his side. Jason had just told his dad it was time, “to find the deep powder” –alluding to Jim’s love of skiing—when Jim slipped away. Jim was a large, strong man, who fought a multi-year battle with one of nature’s most horrible scourges. He needed 24 hour care for the past two years, and was attended to many times every day by his wife of 46 years as well as the compassionate and capable staff of Arden Court in Avon. Jim and Rownie lived in Canton and brought up their two children as avid outdoor enthusiasts and loving parents. There are seven grand-children--all of them cuter than the next and a little smarter too. What a crew to behold as they gather at the old family home in Rhode Island for boating, fishing and swimming. Bring your earplugs!
Jim’s youth was spent in Texas, Connecticut, Ohio and Rhode Island. No wonder, he built his own family a sturdy home of post and beam on top of a hill, overlooking the Farmington Valley, where he spent his time as a contractor and a beloved and most capable kids’ ski coach at Sundown. Jim was a graduate of Andover Academy, 1960, and Princeton University, 1964, where he was active in Tiger Inn and captain of the lacrosse team. He also played “helluva drums” as leader of a rock band called The Hustlers. A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 20th, 2pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, River Road in Collinsville. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Jim Okie’s name to one of the following charities: Roaring Brook Nature Center: roaringbrook.org, Alzheimer’s Association: alz.org or the Princeton Scholarship Fund, class of ’64: princeton1964.com/fundraising.. Please visit Jim’s “Book of Memories” at www.vincentfuneralhome.com for online condolences.