James Lammie

1931 - 2022

LAMMIE, James

James L. Lammie, "Jim" to his friends, and "Toro" to his grandchildren and their children, passed peacefully in his home in Atlantic Beach on November 9, 2022. Born September 19, 1931 in Homestead, Pennsylvania, he was married for 65 years to Shirley Donovan Lammie who preceded him in death in 2018.

Known for his tireless commitment to work and family, Jim's personal and professional lives were focused on maintaining the highest standards of integrity and ethics. His example inspired others to model his behavior. His catchphrase, "grow or die", was adopted by both his colleagues and his family as an important life lesson. He was generous in his support of the educational and professional ambitions of colleagues and family, and an unending advocate of their pursuit of higher education.

His professional life of nearly six decades of leadership and service began with his 1953 graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His twenty-one years as an Army engineer included tours of duty in Philadelphia, Korea, Germany, Vietnam, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. As District Engineer for the Corps of Engineers San Francisco District, he pioneered aggressive controls of industrial pollution of San Francisco Bay. He was especially proud of his second career with Parsons Brinckerhoff, a public transportation engineering firm, where he led many large-scale public transportation infrastructure projects in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston, and around the world. Family and friends saw his meticulous and knowledgeable leadership as they accompanied him on frequent weekend and holiday site visits to all of Atlanta's MARTA stations during every phase of their construction! Upon his retirement from Parsons Brinckerhoff, he returned to West Point as the first Class of 1953 Endowed Chair of Civil Engineering to teach management and ethics from 2005-2007.

Over their long marriage, Jim and Shirley were a constant source of love and support for their growing family and inspired them with their volunteerism and strong Catholic faith. Jim leaves behind three children and their spouses, Dr. John and Nancy Lammie, Dr. Patrick Lammie and Maureen Braun, and Michele (Lammie) Moores and her husband, Dr. Russell Moores. "Toro" is survived by seven devoted grandchildren and their spouses: Christopher and Erin Lammie, Colin and Molly Lammie, Meghan (Lammie) Glenn and Christopher Glenn, Caitlin Lammie and husband, Jerome Greba, Quinn and Kate Lammie, Aaron and Katie Moores, and Colleen Moores. Toro also had eighteen great-grandchildren: Virginia, Audrey, Maggie, Ian, Aidan, Garrin, Hyland, Sennett, Finley, Joshua, Lucy and Rowan Lammie, as well as Simon, Meade, and Felix Glenn, Miriam and Lenore Greba and Hunter Moores. In addition to Shirley, Jim was preceded in death by sister, Elizabeth Karas; and his grandson, Patrick Lammie. The family extends special thanks to his sister-in-law, Marge Schneider and nephew, Craig Schneider, for their unending love over the past years.