West Hartford, Conn. — James S. “Jim” Dailey, age 81, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 5, 2016. Born in Burlington, Vt., to parents Edward J. and Catherine M. Ragamata Dailey, Jim grew up in Hartford, Vt., before attending St. Michael’s College (class of 1957) in Colchester. He served for two years in the U.S. Army before settling in the Hartford, Conn., area. Jim is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Lois; son, James Jr. and his wife Paula; son Edward and his wife Rita; son John and his wife Jill; and eight grandchildren, James, Kristen, William, Peter, Catherine, Jamie, John, and Shannon. Jim was preceded in death by his youngest son Peter and Jim’s brothers Edward and Timothy. Jim was a devoted family man and tireless worker. He began his business career at Aetna Life & Casualty in the late 1950s and landed in the real estate investment department, where he flourished for over a decade. He left Aetna in 1970 for a 6-year stint as Executive Vice President of The First National Bank of Chicago and Chief Executive Officer of First Chicago Realty Services, after which he rejoined Aetna to lead the multi-billion dollar real estate investment group. He was later promoted to Treasurer of Aetna and also headed Aetna’s diversified business unit. Jim and Lois relocated to Newport Beach, California during the 1980s, where Jim served as President of Ponderosa Homes, which he acquired from Aetna and sold. Jim managed his own private investment company before returning to Connecticut during the early 1990s as Vice Chairman of Connecticut National Bank in Hartford and Shawmut Bank in Boston. During his real estate career, Jim served as a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute for seven years. He also attended the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program (class of 1981). Jim received an honorary doctorate degree from St. Michael’s College in 1996 after serving three terms on the Board of Trustees. Always active in philanthropic and community affairs, Jim served on the Greater Hartford Arts Council and Hartford Stage Company boards. He was also President of the Board of Trustees of South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa, California. Jim was Founder and Chairman of Capital Housing Corporation, a developer of low income housing in Hartford, and was named Person of the Year by the Greater Hartford Board of Realtors. He also served as director at Church Homes. Jim was a devout Catholic at The Church of St. Timothy in West Hartford. Jim showed great strength and courage in battling Alzheimer’s disease during the last nine years of his life, maintaining his smile while being cared for tirelessly by his wife Lois. During their early retirement years, Jim and Lois enjoyed traveling, golf, and spending winters in Palm Desert, Calif.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 9, 2016, at The Church of St. Timothy, 1116 North Main Street, West Hartford, Conn. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Calling hours will be Friday, July 8, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home, 136 South Main Street, West Hartford. In lieu of flowers, Jim’s family invites you to make donations in his memory to The House of Bread, 27 Chestnut Street, Hartford, CT 06120 or the James S. and Lois A. Dailey Fund at Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, 10 Columbus Boulevard, 8th Floor, Hartford, CT 06106. For direction and online condolences, please visit www.taylorandmodeen.com.
