James Leo Reidy

James Leo Reidy, Jr., of Clermont, Georgia, passed away suddenly while hiking in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina on August 18, 2025, at the age of 75.

Jim is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carol; his children, Beth, Gregory, Jennifer, and Patricia; his siblings, Lillian, William, Dennis, Mary, and Patrick; and his cherished grandchildren, Alexis, Josilin, Ava, Gabby, Ashelynn, and James Leo III. He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Lillian.

Jim was born on March 11, 1950, in Jersey City, New Jersey, the second of six children. He spent his formative years in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before setting out on his own adventure to pursue an art degree in Texas. He graduated from the University of Houston in 1973 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. While attending the university, he met Carol Cederholm, a fellow art major from Bastrop, Texas. The two eloped in Piedras Negras, Mexico, on March 1, 1970. Their 55-year marriage carried them through many moves, career changes, the raising of four children, and the joys of watching their grandchildren grow.

Jim worked for several drafting companies as a technical illustrator, and the young family moved frequently before eventually settling in Bastrop to be closer to Carol's family. During that time, he also worked part-time at Carol's parents' manufacturing facility, welding measuring wheels. He went on to spend the majority of his career with IBM, where he worked as a technical illustrator and writer beginning part-time prior to 1984 and continuing until his retirement in 2008.

A gifted artist, Jim excelled in realistic and technical illustration as well as pottery. He possessed an extraordinary mechanical aptitude and an intuitive understanding of how things fit and functioned together. It was common to find him under the hood of an old car, constructing yet another shed, or renovating a home. His hands were rarely idle, and his family will always remember him tinkering, building, repairing, and improving whatever was in front of him. He generously shared his skills and knowledge with those he loved and volunteered his talents for a church project in Culebra.

In his younger years, Jim enjoyed playing guitar and photography, and throughout his life he loved road-tripping across the United States, visiting national and state parks. After retirement, he was fortunate to travel internationally several times.

In 2011, a catastrophic wildfire destroyed the home Jim had built in the mid-1980s and raised him family in. Shortly thereafter, Jim and Carol relocated to northern Georgia to be closer to two of their daughters; their son eventually followed. In Georgia, Jim devoted much of his time to making pottery and amusing his family with stories of Sasquatch sightings in the mountains of north Georgia — tales told with just enough conviction to keep everyone wondering.

A celebration of Jim's life was held on September 27, 2025, at The Highlands GMC in Gainesville, Georgia.

Jim will be remembered for his creativity, craftsmanship, humor, and devotion to his family. His legacy lives on in the many things he built and created — and in the people he loved.