James Meskun

James W. Meskun

1947 - 2014 SHAFTSBURY James Wesley Meskun, 66, a resident of Westview Place, died Friday, June 27, 2014, at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington, following a brief illness. Born on July 26, 1947, in Torrington, Conn., he was the son of the late Wesley C. Meskun and Florence (Everett) Donlay who survives. Jim was a 1965 graduate of Woodbury, (Conn.) High School. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1966 and volunteered for two tours of duty in Vietnam where he served in Chu Lai as an aviation avionics technician supporting both the 121st and 223rd VMA Attack Squadrons. He was honorably discharged in 1969 with the rank of Sergeant. Jim married the former Linda McMahon at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Valley Falls, N.Y., on July 17, 1971. Jim was employed as a customer support specialist by Xerox in both Connecticut and Vermont from 1970 2003. Very active in the Shaftsbury community for several years, Jim had served as a town auditor, chairman of the Shaftsbury Veterans Committee, current treasurer of the NorShaft Lions Club and longtime member of the Shaftsbury Fire Department. Jim was a lifetime member of VFW Post 7330 in Oakville, Conn., a member of both the Marine Corps Association and the Marine Corps League and also the NRA. He also coached both youth baseball and soccer in Shaftsbury. Jim enjoyed gardening, hunting and fishing and was an avid collector of stamps, coins, gems and minerals and antique tools. Survivors include his wife, Linda Meskun of Shaftsbury; a daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Dalton Frazier of Nantucket, Mass.; a son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Jennifer Meskun of Puerto Rico; his mother, Florence Donlay of Kent, Conn.; two grandchildren, Dalton Frazier II and Zoey Meskun; three brothers, Gerald Meskun of Colebrook, Conn., Scott Meskun of Plantsville, Conn., and Keith Donlay of New Milford, Conn., and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Jim was predeceased by a brother, Gergory Meskun. FUNERAL NOTICE: The funeral will be held from Four Chaplains All Faiths Chapel at the Vermont Veterans Home on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 at 10 a.m. Burial will take place in the family lot in St. Johns Cemetery, Schaghticoke, N.Y. Friends may call at the MAHAR SON FUNERAL HOME on Tuesday, July 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. when the family will be in attendance. Should friends desire, contributions in James W. Meskun's memory may be made to either the Shaftsbury Veterans Committee or the Wounded Warriors Project through the office of the Mahar & Son Funeral Home, 628 Main Street, Bennington, VT 05201. Guest book condolences may be made at www.maharandsonfuneralhome.net.