James Yates

James A Yates

James A Yates, a longtime resident of Pound Ridge, NY, passed away on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, after a short illness He was 63 years old

Born October 8, 1953, and raised in Darien, CT, Jim was the son of the late Joseph F and Kathryn Shirley L'Hommedieu Yates

As a young boy, he was an avid skier and enjoyed spending time in Vermont at the family's vacation home In high school, he was a talented musician, artist, and craftsman

After high school, Jim and his brother John took over the family business They continued to run Yates Builders, the contracting and building company their father founded in the 1940s Together they built and remodeled over 100 homes Jim could fix anything and always enjoyed helping others In his free time, he loved to go fishing

Jim was a lifelong lover of classic rock music and science fiction He especially loved the Beatles and Pink Floyd and had fond memories of hitchhiking to Woodstock when he was a teenager Jim saw the original Star Wars movie three times on the day it was released at the theater in 1977 He was an even bigger Star Trek fan and considered himself a "Trekkie"

Jim was the loving and attentive father of five children, including two autistic boys He dedicated most of the last 25 years caring for his sons and advocating for the disabled

Yates was predeceased by his son Robert, his brother Joseph Yates, his sister Judith Yates, and his brother Jerry Yates He is survived by four children: Emily Yates of Darien, CT, Abigail Yates of Los Angeles, CA, Ian Yates and Dylan Yates; three siblings: Joann Sarner of Pound Ridge, NY, John Yates of Southbury, CT, and Jeffrey Yates of Bethel, CT He was beloved by his niece and nephews In addition, he leaves a granddaughter, Annabel Jones of Darien, CT

Yates will be buried at St John's Cemetery in Norwalk, CT, on Friday, September 15, 2017, at 1 pm All are welcome to attend the service

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Autism Speaks wwwautismspeaksorg