James Lewis Leggett Jr., 80

GILFORD — James “Jim” Lewis Leggett Jr., 80, of Gilford, died on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019.

Jim was born in Hudson, New York, in 1939, the son of the late Lewis and Evelyn Dunham Leggett. He grew up on a farm with his younger brother, Gary, in Kinderhook, New York, with his grandparents living next door. His family had lived in the Kinderhook area since the late 1600s.

After graduating from Ichabod Crane Central High School in Kinderhook, Jim joined the United States Navy for a two-year tour, which allowed him to travel to sites throughout the Mediterranean, including Beirut, Athens, Rome, and northern Africa. He then studied at the University of Bridgeport, where he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and at Penn State University, where he received a master’s degree in economics.

Jim began his career as an accountant for Rohm and Haas Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The corporate life didn’t quite suit Jim and, in 1970, he and his family moved to Gilford. He had a long, successful career as a Realtor in Gilford. He was named Lakes Region Realtor of the Year in 1979, was president of the Lakes Region Board of Realtors in 1984, and continued as a very active member of the board for several decades. When the residential real estate market collapsed in the early 1990s, Jim founded Consolidated Mortgage Buyers which he operated while continuing to sell real estate.

Jim served on the Gilford Budget Committee from 1973 to 1977 and he served on the board of trustees for Gilford Village Knolls from 2005 to 2019.

In his free time, Jim loved boating, grilling, relaxing with family and friends, playing hearts and scrabble, watching NASCAR races, and attending his grandchildren’s sporting events and plays. When his children were young, he enjoyed taking them on early-morning trips to towns throughout New England for nordic skiing competitions. Jim was a man of few words, a creative thinker, fiercely independent, and perfectly suited to life in the live-free-or-die state.

Jim is survived by his sons, James (and Amy) of Mechanicville, New York, and Christopher (and Sydney) of Woodstock, Vermont; his grandchildren, Madison, Taylor, Connor, Sophie, and Samuel; and his partner, Catherine Gagnon (and her son, Christopher, daughter-in-law Jennifer, and grandchildren Nolan and Katie).

There will be a memorial service at Gilford Community Church on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 11 a.m.

Memorial donations may be made to the Gilford Community Church, 19 Potter Hill Road, Gilford, NH 03249.