William James "Jim" Proctor

William James "Jim" Proctor of Trumansburg passed away at home on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at the age of 59.

 Jim was born on May 24, 1966, in Ithaca, New York to William and Marietta Joan (Mix) Proctor. A lifelong Trumansburg resident, Jim joined his father, William H. Proctor, in their family excavating business starting at a young age. After his father passed in 1994, Jim took the helm of the business, maintaining a commitment to quality, consistency, and customer satisfaction. In 2001, Jim and his wife Mary renamed the company P&S Excavating, further expanding its reach in 2005 to include Cayuga Compost.

While Jim was a man of few words, his actions spoke volumes. He was known for quietly helping neighbors and friends without expecting anything in return, and always doing the right thing. He had an immense love for fishing. Most summer evenings he could be found on his boat on Cayuga lake, pulling in lake and brown trout. Every February, he traveled to the Florida Keys to fish with friends, cherishing his time spent on the water. In the last few years Jim also traveled to his dream fishing destinations, catching bucket-list fish in Alaska and the Amazon.

Jim had a particular love for ospreys and bald eagles. He enjoyed watching the eagles that would frequent the company compost site and his backyard. Fishing trips on Cayuga Lake also provided an opportunity to osprey watch.

Jim was a man with a deep love of tracking technology. He found joy in tracking all types of objects including satellites, airplanes, or his children and wife. You could text him when your plane landed, but he would already know the flight number, ETA, and arrival gate. He loved seeing the International Space Station passing over and on clear nights (he never wasted his time with cloud cover) he would brave any temperature to watch it when his satellite tracker app alerted him.

Jim was diagnosed with ALS in March of 2024. Despite his disease, he continued visiting jobsites and working with his crew until he was physically unable to. Even then, he called in daily to guide operations. Jim took great pride in supporting his family, employees and community. He routinely provided “remote Dad support”, guiding his daughters through car trouble, house repairs and frozen pipes. Jim was incredibly grateful for friends and family who supported him, and for his doctors, medical teams and the ALS Association who allowed him to remain comfortably at home with family.

Each Thursday night, he looked forward to sharing pizza and wings with some of his closest friends, a tradition that brought him great happiness.

Jim is survived by his wife, Mary; four daughters, Ally Proctor, Cassie Proctor, Jess (Andrew Ferguson) Proctor, and Kelly (Wesley) Regnier; and his grandchildren, William Jac Proctor, Elijah, and Mindelle; siblings, Samuel (Mary) Lapp, Melissa (Bruce) Granger, and Elizabeth (Paul) Contento; many nieces, nephews and other loved ones; and faithful dog, Maggie.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William H. and Marietta Joan Proctor.

In keeping with his Thursday wing night tradition, a Celebration of Jim's Life will be held on Thursday, December 4, 2025, from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the American Legion Post 770, 4431 E. Seneca Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886. Family, friends, and all whose lives he touched are invited to come; please dress casually and in any attire that may have a fish on it. Jim loved his “fancy” fish shirts.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks those that would like to make a contribution in Jim's memory to kindly consider The Adirondack Museum, 9097 State Route 30, Mountain Lake, New York 12812.