1934 – 2016

AUBURN — James Edgar Irish Sr., 82, of Turner passed away peacefully Thursday, July 21, at the Hospice House in Auburn. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Lee, in 1986.

James was born on Feb. 14, 1934, in Lewiston, to Mike and Barbara Irish. He graduated from Canton in 1952. Following his service to his country in the Korean War, he returned to Maine and married Joyce Lee, July 1, 1960. Together they raised two sons, Jim Jr. and Kevin.

Jim will always be remembered as an astute businessman. He, along with his wife, established Bretton’s Variety Store as well as Irish Inc. His love of sports was evident in his youth and continued throughout his life watching his sons and grandchildren play ball. He especially loved watching the Red Sox with his companion of 20 years, Diane Hammond, who passed in 2015. He was also an avid coin collector and enjoyed sharing his knowledge of his eclectic hobby with others, as well as his love for town history.

James is survived by his two sons, James Irish Jr. and his wife, Sheila, of Brunswick and Kevin Irish and his wife, Jocelyn, of Turner; grandchildren, Sarah and her husband, Tony Bird, and Jacob Irish; as well as his step-grandchildren; Emily, Conor and Erin Page.

The family would like to extend their sincerest gratitude to the staff members at Clover Manor, the Veterans Administration and the Hospice House for their tremendous amount of compassion during this time.

Jim was a wonderfully unique individual and will be greatly missed by those who knew him.

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