James Herberick
November 3, 2021
James Bernard Herberick of New Milford passed away on November 3, 2021, surrounded by his loved ones from complications from lung cancer treatment.
James (Jim) was born on September 7, 1943 to Bernard and Lucy Herberick in Chattanooga, TN. Jim was born on Labor Day and has been laboring ever since!
As a youth, Jim was a state record holder and state champion swimmer at the Stamford Yacht Club. After graduating from Darien High School, he studied business at the University of Oklahoma.
After graduation, Jim owned and worked a pig farm in Oklahoma for several years. While farming had honed Jim's entrepreneurial skills and penchant for hard work, he found he missed Connecticut. Back in Connecticut, Jim excelled in sales, becoming a sales champion for Cutco Knives, while also working at Chuck's Steakhouse and the International Flea Market in Brooklyn, NY.
When Jim was ready to buy a home, he instructed his realtor to drive north from Darien until he found a town he liked in his price range. He found what he was looking for in New Milford, where he married and lived with his children, daughter Darcy and son Bart.
Jim worked at Kimberly Clark and J.P Stevens. He knew it was his destiny to own his own a business and started New Milford Coffee Service and was affectionately called "The Coffee Man". He built his own home on Grove Street which he proudly called "Herberick Hill'. Jim was never idle. He was always thinking of businesses to create, including his water hoop game. He also built and sold copper spinning garden sprinklers and decorative concrete steps.
Jim married his beloved wife of 37 years Elizabeth Herberick. They called each other Baby Baby and, in 1990, they welcomed their daughter, Elora. That same year, Jim bought property in Hadley NY and started building Economy Self Storage. Jim was thrilled when his son Bart came to work in the business and in 2008, they started building Economy Self Storage II.
Jim loved to travel and was always a student of history. He enjoyed playing golf but his favorite hobby was working. Jim had a larger than life personality and loved to talk with people and inspired many. Jim always did things his own way, walked his own path, and was quick to help others. He was a very loving husband, father and grandfather.
Jim was predeceased by his father and mother. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, children Darcy, Bart and Elora and his granddaughters Lucy and Molly.
Friends and family are invited to a memorial service honoring Jim's life and legacy on November 13 from 2-5 p.m. at 19 Main Street in New Milford.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Danbury News Times on Nov. 8, 2021.

Memories and Condolences
for James Herberick

Sponsored by Abbey Cremation Service - Rocky Hill.

6 Entries

Bob Emrich

February 1, 2025

I am very sorry to hear Jim passed away. We were friends at OU, back in the early '60s, and we lived in the same dorm for a year or two. We had several things in common: we both were swimmers in high school, we both worked out, and we were both from out of state. I was from Pacific Palisades, CA., and he was from Darien, CT. He is the only one that ever called me by my last name.
When he arrived at OU, he had a deep red Corvette Stingray. We used to go on rides, and one time, he said I could drive it, but "be careful!" I drove it a few blocks, and pulled over, in fear something might happen, and I valued our friendship way too much to risk it.
The obituary rings loud and clear. He definitely walked his own path, and there was a purpose in everything he did. As it turns out, we both searched for a small town to settle down in. Mine was a place called Mill Valley, CA.

The last time we spoke was back in 2020, and I learned we had both worked for several companies earlier, and each of us were serial entrepreneurs. He sent me a couple photos of the storage units his company built, and he was very proud of them. I considered investing with him, but he said he was OK. I then thought about doing something similar out here on the west coast. My only regret is not getting together since school.

I wish his family all the best, as well as his son Bart, and Economy Self Storage.

Deb and Paul (Knoxville, TN)

Planted Trees

DANIEL FOX

November 13, 2021

My heart is broken. Although I only knew Jim for about 10 years, I felt a comfortable friendship. A truly nice guy.
We had many nice conversations. He will be missed.

Jo-Ann & Joe Pesente

November 11, 2021

Betsy,Elora & family
Joe & I were saddened to hear of Jim´s passing.If there is anything at all we can do to help,please don´t hesitate to call.
Much love,
Jo-Ann & Joe

Bob Sosnowski

November 9, 2021

Jim will always be my amazing entrepreneurial brother-in-law. As I read through his obituary I recall the last 40 years that I had the honor to know him. He was always willing to take a chance and try his hand at a new business venture. He worked really hard and was always reinvesting in his businesses and growing them and it was fun to be at family functions to learn what new craze Jim has turned his focus to. He found incredible success in the Storage business over the last two decades. As the Coffee Man he turned me on to Martinson´s coffee. And you know, he always made a descent cup of coffee. He was a always a great husband, Dad, GrandDad and friend. When he walked the streets of New Milford and entered a restaurant, it seemed that everyone knew him. When he found New Milford he knew that is where he would lay down roots. Jim was an amazing craftsman, he could build a house from the foundation up and he could always find the best deal on building materials, from doors to windows, roofing material, concrete, sheet rock and plywood. I am going to miss his stories on where he got his last deal. It is so unfortunate that cancer took Big Jim down. I don´t think he was ever hospitalized his entire life until the last few months of his life. Never was there anyone who took cancer head on and was so optimistic until the end. He was an example to all cancer patients that you need to be aggressive and never stop believing that you would be a five year survivor statistic. I wish he became one of those survivors but God had a different plan for Big Jim. May he Rest In Peace!

Nic Marsicano

November 8, 2021

I remember Jim, or as as we affectionately referred to him as "The Coffee Man", when I worked in the kitchen and then the bar at the Widow Brown´s Cafe. Jim was always larger than life and always outgoing and happy. He would present his invoice to me at the bar and I would hand him a stack of cash. I remember asking him once that wasn´t he worried or afraid to be carrying all that cash around all of the time. He just looked at me and laughed, which made me laugh. And then he said, "What do you think?" I sheepishly said, "No I don´t think that you are." He then widened out that big smile that was always present on his face and very lightly tapped my cheek 3 times in a slapping gesture. The way a big brother would his smaller brother. A gesture of kindness. Still smiling he said, "And you have a marvelous day." And off he went, no doubt to his next delivery and cash exchange. That was just one of the many encounters that I had with the eternally confident and the always happy Coffee Dude. Rest In Peace Coffee Man. You were as genuine and as colorful a character as the restaurant business could offer. My heartfelt condolences to the Herberick family. Your husband, dad and granddad was one of a kind.

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