James Willis Fehr, known by most throughout his 71 years as James, was born in Pennsylvania on August 12, 1954, and passed away in Jacksonville Florida in May 2026.

James had an interesting life, starting off as a very sick little four-pound baby and proving every doctor wrong as he went on to grow up, learn how to sail, and even played and toured overseas with his high school marching band. That experience ignited his passion to see more of the world after college, and he spent years visiting many countries and planning his worldwide trips with his guitar on his back around whatever boat ports, libraries, museums, and whatever national historical sites there were where he was going, always with a camera in hand.

James spent some time teaching history around all his adventures; he was most in love with sailing, cooking, history and knowledge of all sorts. He referred to his living room as his Library and would share as many stories as his conversation companions would allow him, especially so with a cup of tea on hand, usually in fine china. He was adept with multiple types of software systems, both developing and building them. James spent 30 years with McGraw Hill Publishing, and after living through the events that struck NY on September 11, he relocated to Virginia to finish out his career in the IT division of government, retiring to Jacksonville, Florida in late 2025. His plans were to make Jacksonville his home base so he could then travel for longer stretches via train and large sailing ships overseas, and he wanted to make memories with his family.

James’ last months were spent with his beloved niece and her family, learning how to use his new cell phone and GPS to map out his new city and where he wanted to go, cooking delicious goodies for everyone he could share them with in his new apartment right on the intracoastal overlooking a marina, and he was always ready for a trip to get a good stout beer. He will forever live in the hearts of those who loved him.