James T. Gregory

James T. Gregory

ELIZABETH CITY - James Theodore Gregory, an Elizabeth City, NC resident, age 85, passed on Friday, January 13, 2017. He is survived by his three children, David Gregory and wife Rita of Leesburg, VA, Ellen Finelli and husband David of Evergreen, CO, and Wava Gregory of Springfield, VA, and former wife, Faith Gregory. He leaves three beloved grandchildren, Leanna, Alexandra, and Vincent James. He is also survived by his five nieces; Leslie, Amy, Patricia, Marcia, and Susan. He is preceded in death by his parents Theodore Gregory and Eva Robillard Gregory, and two older sisters, Elaine Dingley and Dorothy Graves.

He was born in Newton MA, attended high school in Sharon MA, and served in the US Navy. Upon graduation from Northeastern University in Boston MA, he worked on designing the first artificial kidney. In the 1960's he accepted a position with Boeing as an aerospace engineer in support of the Dynasoar program in Seattle, WA, and later with NASA on the Apollo program in New Orleans, LA, and Washington DC. He was acknowledged with his name on the Apollo Roll of Honor which was placed on the moon by the astronauts. After Boeing, Jim joined Martin Marietta where he supported the Skylab program.

In 1977, Jim joined TCOM, where he frequently traveled to manage sites in Nigeria, Iran, Korea, and in the Arctic on the Beaufort Sea. He moved to Elizabeth City, NC in 1984, where he managed the TCOM facility operations and the production of aerostats for eleven years.

Upon retirement from TCOM, Jim remained in Elizabeth City and created the Ladicon Corporation, investing in several residential and commercial properties in and around Elizabeth City. He enjoyed doing the daily crossword puzzle, his cat Tigerlily, spending time at the outer banks with his family, walks on the COA Fenwick-Hollowell Wetlands Trail, fishing, and being a loyal member of "Thursday Poker" where he developed lasting friendships.

An opportunity to visit with his family and friends will be held Saturday January 21 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at Twiford Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Food Bank of the Albemarle, PO Box 1704, Elizabeth City, NC 27906 ( http://afoodbank.org/ ) or a charity of one's choosing. Twiford Funeral Home, 405 East Church Street, Elizabeth City is assisting the Gregory family. You may express condolences to the family by visiting twifordFH.com. As published in The Daily Advance