James W Maclachlan

James W. "Jimmy" Maclachlan of Sandwich, MA, passed away suddenly, yet peacefully, at home on November 25, 2025. Jimmy is survived by his wife, Jennifer L. "Jen" Maclachlan of Sandwich, MA and their daughters, Abigail G. "Abby" Maclachlan of Sandwich, MA and Hannah F. Maclachlan of Storrs, CT. He is also survived by his mother, Ruth Maclachlan of Hyannisport, MA his sisters, Kathleen "Katie" Tassi of South Boston, MA and Barbara Maclachlan of Nashua, NH, his brother-in-laws: Jeff Tassi of South Boston, Marty Landry of Nashua, and Larry Bastianelli of West Palm Beach, FL, his sister-in-law, Anne Bastianelli of West Palm Beach, his father-in-law, Dr. Jack Driscoll and his mother-in-law, Joan Driscoll both of Centerville, MA, his niece, Gianna Tassi of South Boston and his nephews Nicholas Waltz and Benjamin Waltz both of Boynton Beach, FL. Jimmy is preceded in death by his father, James F. Maclachlan of Hyannisport.

At the time of his death, Jimmy was the Commodore of the Wequaquet Lake Yacht Club (WLYC) in Centerville, a position in which he was honored to serve in and to hold. WLYC is where he spent the last decade enjoying every aspect this leisure club had to offer, including social time with friends, quality family time, and countless opportunities to volunteer alongside Jen, Abby and Hannah at a myriad of club events.

A true 'Cape Codder', Jimmy was born on February 20, 1972 at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, MA and raised in Hyannisport, having enjoyed a delightfully carefree childhood with so many neighborhood friends that felt like family. He always knew that he wanted to raise his children on the Cape because it was such a special place to grow up. Jimmy played ice hockey recreationally as a youth and even as an adult in area leagues, was an avid reader, an inherited trait from both of his parents, and a history aficionado fueled by his time as a history major at New England College.

Jimmy moved to Arizona where he worked in the gaming industry throughout his twenties. When he returned to the Cape, he started what became his craft, his HVAC career, at South Shore Heating and Cooling, where his aptitude for troubleshooting, problemsolving, and leadership had him rising in ranks starting as a helper and eventually becoming the Service Manager, after which he went on to fulfill his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. He achieved serial entrepreneurship status by founding two successful HVAC companies!

Not only did Jimmy excel at his own job, he was also instrumental in supporting Jen's career at her company, by accompanying Jen and their young family on her business trips, and when Abby and Hannah were school age, he kept everything on track at home when Jen was traveling. In recent years, Jimmy did some field service and maintenance for Jen's company because she needed the help and he enjoyed it. Jimmy also supported all of Jen's community and professional volunteer efforts by volunteering alongside her including many years that the Maclachlan Family worked the cotton candy booth at the Centerville Christmas Stroll, the Centerville Civic Association's pancake breakfasts, the 4th of July games at the Centerville playground as well as science education and outreach programs since 2010 from Cambridge to Yarmouthport, for the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society and the Cape Cod Science Cafe, transitioning from assisting at an activity table to becoming an integral part of these K-8 education events as an activity facilitator.

Jimmy leaves behind beloved aunts, cousins that were more like friends, his sisters that were his besties, that he loved to tease and share the tea with, his mom that made him such a compassionate and kindhearted man, and so many cherished friends at Snow and Jones, WLYC, the Parrot Bar & Grill, the Trading Post Lounge and the Lobster Trap. His hobbies included playing golf, talking daily on the phone to his friends and family, constantly reading about (and talking endlessly) about current events, going to the beach all year round, enjoying breathtaking views from work sites, taking tennis lessons with Jen, riding rollercoasters with Abby and Hannah at Disney, family vacations with friends, going to live sporting events, attending live music concerts with family as well as friends and snuggling with his cats and dogs on the sofa while watching his favorite tv shows.

He was so proud of the smart, passionate and kind young women that he and Jen raised together. No matter how hectic a job was, he always made time to show up for Abby and Hannah from the time they were little he'd make sure to attend the recitals, skating shows, trick or treating with family friends, swim meets, parent-teacher conferences, etc. and he shared so many more interests with them as they matured, like cars, music, books, tv shows, movies and built beautiful father-daughter relationships with each of his daughters. He was a faithful Bruins and Pats fan but UCONN had his heart, and he proudly wore his UCONN cap.

Jimmy was wicked funny. His sense of humor was unparalleled. He had a razor sharp wit, and if you paid attention closely enough, his authentic Boston-accent laden one-liners would have you literally laughing out loud. Family, friends, and community were paramount to Jimmy. In lieu of flowers, or donating to large corporations, make a cash donation to a youth group outside the supermarket, just like Jimmy always would. Be like Jimmy, lend a hand, support YOUR people by showing up for them, and be active and volunteer for stuff YOU care about in the community YOU love.

Family and Friends are invited to calling hours on Tuesday December 16, 2025 from 12pm-3pm at Chapman Funerals 3778 Falmouth Road (Route 28) Marstons Mills, MA 02648 with a Celebration of Life immediately following from 3pm-7pm at the Wequaquet Lake Yacht Club, 150 Annabelle Point Road, Centerville, MA 02563.

Burial will be private at the request of the family.