Long-time Fair Haven resident James “Jim” Wilson passed away Feb. 16, 2025, in the comfort and care of his wife and caregivers. He was 91. Jim was born Aug. 4, 1933, in a small village in east Ayrshire, Scotland. He graduated from University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and emigrated to Canada and then to the United States for job opportunities and to start a new life with his wife, Sybil.
Jim attended graduate school at New York University and eventually settled in Fair Haven, where he and Sybil raised their family on the idyllic cul-de-sac of Grange Walk. A mechanical engineer, Jim was a distinguished member of technical staff at Bell Laboratories in Holmdel.
Jim enjoyed gardening and working on projects around the house. He excelled at fixing things, including clocks, and enjoyed collecting and repairing old clocks as a hobby. Jim liked staying active and being outdoors, finding peace and harmony sailing and canoeing on the Navesink River.
Jim is survived by his wife of 67 years, Sybil; his daughter Jennifer Wilson Jaskowiak and son-in-law John Jaskowiak of San Diego, California; daughter-in-law Jenny Wilson of Austin, Texas; son-in-law James Phillips of Burbank, California; four grandchildren: Boris, Madeline, Gavin and Sophie; and extended family and friends across the United States and internationally.
Jim was predeceased by his parents, John and Agnes Wilson; sister Anna Nisbet; his son David Wilson; and daughter Fiona Wilson Phillips.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation in Jim’s memory to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at mskcc.org. No services are planned as per Jim’s wishes.
When Death’s dark stream I ferry o’er,
A time that surely shall come;
In Heaven itself I’ll ask no more
Than just a Highland welcome.
“A Highland Welcome” by Scottish poet Robert Burns
The article originally appeared in the March 13 – 19, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
