James I. Maguire
Served in Navy, active in his community
James Irvine Maguire, 92, passed away Wednesday, November 27, 2013.
He was born December 6, 1920, in Camden, N.J.
Mr. Maguire grew up in Sewall, N.J., and was a graduate of Pittman High School, Mercersburg Academy and Princeton University.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean Conflict, retiring as a lieutenant commander.
In 1945, he married Elizabeth Updegrove, and subsequently raised a family of five children.
Mr. Maguire worked in purchasing for Alpha Portland Cement in Easton for more than two decades, while also serving on the board of the United Way and other community organizations. In 1967, he took a job with Mobay Chemical Company (now Bayer USA) in Pittsburgh and moved to Washington, while his wife, Betty and two children stayed at home. He was promoted to treasurer of Bayer and served in that capacity until he retired in 1984. After retiring, he spearheaded a small business administration retraining program based at Washington & Jefferson College designed to provide professional alternatives to members of the workforce affected by steel industry downsizing.
Throughout his career and long after retirement, he was active in the community. He was an East Washington Borough councilman, a member of the boards of many area organizations including the Washington Hospital, Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy in Wheeling, W.Va., and United Cerebral Palsy of Southwestern Pennsylvania. He was an active member of First Presbyterian Church and a long term volunteer at Washington Hospital. Behind the scenes, he was a staunch supporter of his wife’s beloved Duncan Miller Museum.
He leaves behind a daughter, Susan of Newton, Mass.; a son, Jamie and wife Xaiofang Li of Brookline, Mass.; a son, Tim and wife Sheridan of Nahant, Mass; a daughter, Martha and husband Oleg Simanovsky of Boston, Mass.; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and his treasured D+U coffee group.
Deceased, in addition to his wife, is a daughter, Jane.
Friends will be received from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in Piatt and Barnhill Funeral Home, 420 Locust Avenue, Washington. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 4, in First Presbyterian Church, 100 East Wheeling Street, Washington, PA 15301, with the Rev. L. Stephen Smith officiating. Interment will be private and held at the convenience of the family in Washington Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to United Cerebral Palsy of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Washington Federal Square, 190 North Main Street, Suite 306, Washington, PA 15301.