James W. Fossett Ph.D.

Fossett, James W. Ph.D.
DELMAR - James W. Fossett, Ph.D., 72, died peacefully on December 15, 2022, at his home in Delmar.
Jim was born in Emory, Ga., and raised in suburban Atlanta. He earned a bachelor's degree with honors in political science from Vanderbilt University, and a doctoral degree in political science from the University of Michigan.
Jim was recently retired from a prolific academic career in political science and public affairs. His most recent academic appointment was associate professor at the Graduate School of Public Affairs, Public Policy Program, and School of Public Health at The State University of New York at Albany. He additionally served as a senior fellow in the Federalism Research Group at the Rockefeller Institute of Government and as core faculty at the Alden Marsh Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College. Jim loved to be on "the steep part of the learning curve," evidenced by his wide-ranging scholarly articles, book chapters and reports on topics spanning healthcare politics and policy, Medicaid, federalism, bioethics, and natural disaster relief.
A kind-hearted and intellectual man, Jim was always full of advice and eager to help people in any way he could. His passion for politics and public policy extended beyond the academic sphere; he was an avid follower of political news and current events, and loved to discuss with friends, family, and colleagues.
Jim was a long-time resident of Delmar and was fond of the local farmers market, deli, and coffee shop.
Jim is survived by his loving partner of nine years, Bess Epstein, and her family including her sons, Michael, and Bill, and daughters-in-law, Madeline, and Arden. Jim is also survived by his son, Jeffrey Fossett, and an extended family by marriage that includes sisters-in-law, Sheila Perloff Eddison, and Linda Perloff; brother-in-law, David Eddison; aunt, Karin Shields, and uncle David Shields; cousins, Temi Snyder, Andrea Snyder, Alison Tanner, Michael Shields, Jennifer Millman, Josh Bolgar and Zander Bolgar; nephew, Eric Freundlich; and nieces, Sara Wyatt, and Melissa Hickey. He was predeceased by his parents, Sara and Roy Fossett; brother, Lawrence Fossett; and his wife, Janet Perloff Fossett, to whom he was lovingly married for 15 years prior to her passing.
Funeral services will be held at 12 p.m. on Friday, December 30, at the Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave., in Delmar. Visitation with the family will begin at 11 a.m. at the funeral home, and interment will follow in the B'nai Sholom Cemetery in Troy. The funeral service will be broadcast via YouTube at https://youtu.be/13eLEL_OqU8 and will go live at 11:45 a.m. for those unable to attend the service in person.
In lieu of flowers, you may honor Jim by making a contribution to one of his favorite charities. He was a regular donor to the Southern Poverty Law Center and Doctors Without Borders. You may also make a contribution to the Janet D. Perloff Scholarship at the University of Albany. Jim made yearly contributions to this fund, which is named for his late wife and supports scholarships for social work and public health students at the University at Albany. Please donate online at https://www.albany.edu/giving/perloff, or send a check by mail. Please make checks payable to The UAlbany Foundation, note that your gift is to the Perloff Scholarship in memory of James Fossett, and mail to The UAlbany Foundation, P.O. Box 761, Albany, NY, 12201.
To leave the family an online condolence, please visit applebeefuneralhome.com.