PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW JAMES HOEY'S MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL AT 10AM

James J. Hoey, 96 of Cumberland passed away at home on Saturday, January 8, 2022, his beloved wife Betty (née Elizabeth Reardon) by his side.

Born in Providence, Jim was the eldest son of the late James and Bridget (Murray) Hoey, of counties Leitrim and Roscommon, Ireland. He was the brother of the late Mary Byrnes, Edward Hoey, Charles Hoey, and Peter Hoey.

Upon graduation from Hope High School in 1943, Jim enlisted in the Naval Air Corps which – fortunately for Jim and his descendants – immediately placed him in college instead of a cockpit. In 1948 he retired as a Navy Lieutenant, graduated from Rice Institute in Texas and the University of Rhode Island with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and joined Westinghouse as a sales engineer, then manufacturer's representative for New England. From 1965 until 2016, he owned and operated Reactone Ultrasonics which distributed and serviced industrial cleaning equipment for the jewelry industry.

According to family legend, Jim first fell for Betty when she leapt into the Scarborough surf without a bathing cap, a story Betty neither confirms nor denies. Regardless of how their love story began, by 1957 Jim and Betty were married, living in the house they built and would share for 65 years, and awaiting the arrival of their first of four children: Beth, Jay, Martha and Suzy.

In the winter Jim taught his kids to love skating and skiing. In the spring he built model airplanes and when they crashed, led the neighborhood kids on daring search and rescue missions all over Cumberland. In the summer, he enjoyed Sunday morning cookouts at Abbott Run, club parties, swim meets and swimming laps so slowly that onlookers marveled that he stayed afloat. And every fall, he led family and friends and friends of family and friends on an annual hike up the White Mountains, an ongoing, treasured tradition.

Infinitely good-natured, conscientious, curious, and kind, Jim did crossword puzzles, and he did dishes. He told long stories he supposedly made short, and he listened even more than he talked. He was a happy man, respected colleague, cherished friend, playful patient, beloved grampy, adored dad, and a committed, thoughtful, and eternally smitten husband.

Besides his wife Betty, Jim is survived by his children, Elizabeth de Camara, James Hoey, Martha Hoey, and Suzanne Jachinowski. He also leaves eight grandchildren, Donald de Camara, Janice Brockman, Lauren Yamamoto, Erin Hoey, Kate Hoey, James T. Hoey, Joseph (JJ) Jachinowski, and Benjamin Jachinowski. He also leaves four great grandchildren, Brennan de Camara, Kyle de Camara, Rhys Brockman, and Sloane Brockman.

The family will greet friends at O'Neill Funeral Home, 3102 Mendon Road, Cumberland from 5 PM to 7 PM on Friday, January 14th. The funeral will be held Saturday, January 15th at 9 AM from the O'Neill Funeral Home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 AM at Saint John Vianney Church, 3609 Diamond Hill Road, Cumberland. Burial with military honors will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, 259 W Wrentham Road, Cumberland. The mass will also be video live streamed and can be viewed right here .

In lieu of flowers, charitable/tax deductible donations can be made in memory of James J. Hoey to: Memory and Aging Program, Butler Hospital .