James ‘Jim’ Giggey, successful businessman
James "Jim" Giggey, 89, peacefully passed away Friday, July 31, 2020, surrounded by his family in his Durham, N.C., home.
Born and raised in Somerville, Mass., Jim was the son of Willard and Gladys (Craig) Giggey. A 1954 Northeastern University graduate in chemistry, Jim served in the Chemical Corps during the Korean War after which he went to work for the E. I. DuPont de Nemours Company in polymer sales. In 1955, Jim met Constance “Connie” Guilfoyle and they were married in July 1957, a marriage which survived multiple moves, 54-plus years, six children, 17 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Jim was an excellent businessman who held various executive and board seats; Jim was a senior DuPont executive for many years followed by a five-year executive role at Eastman Kodak Company. In addition, Jim was vice chairman, trustee Goldey-Beacom College; chairman, Kingsport Tennessee Joint Commission on Economic Development; board of directors and executive committee member, Tennessee Tomorrow.
Jim and Connie lived in Delaware for 26 years, the Chicago metro area for eight years and Kingsport, Tenn., for five years while Jim worked for Eastman Chemical. In 1998 they moved to Chapel Hill/Durham area. Connie and Jim enjoyed spending summers at their home in Rehoboth Beach.
Jim loved long walks, especially “walking the boards” in Rehoboth Beach, working tirelessly in his yard, reading, and eating ice cream. Jim believed hard work created luck. An avid reader and investor, every investment Jim made seemed to turn to gold; he loved a good deal and lived humbly despite his success. He graciously supported many charities, including the Catholic Church and the Newman Center.
Jim is reunited with his beloved wife Connie, and is survived by his brothers, Robert Giggey of Williamsburg, Va., and Rick Giggey of Coventry, Conn.; his children, Michael and wife Janice Giggey of Raleigh, N.C., Shawna and husband Robert Mashal of Boston, Mass., Maureen and husband Mark Boschert of Salt Lake City, Utah, Matthew and wife Anne Giggey of Wilmington, N.C., Brennan and wife Colleen Giggey of Phoenix, Ariz., and Paul and wife Amy Giggey of Baltimore, Md.
A private memorial service will be held by the family in Rehoboth Beach in 2021 where Jim and Connie’s ashes will be set free in the place they loved most.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Ste. 1509, New York, NY 10018 https://www.parkinson.org or the Durham Rescue Mission, 1201 East Main St., Durham, N.C. 27701 https://www.durhamrescuemission.org.
