Obituary of James Howard Pursell

James Howard Pursell, 81, passed away on November 16th  2017, at his home in Owego, New York after a brief illness. He was predeceased by his parents, Howard Lester Pursell and Doris Mae (Yates) Pursell. Jim is survived by his spouse, the Rev. Richard Schaal, of Owego; his brothers, Bruce Edwin Pursell, of Harrisburg, PA, and Alan Craig Pursell, of Weed CA; his nephews, Craig Alan Pursell and Thomas Howard Pursell. Jim was employed by IBM in Owego, New York for thirty years, where he rose rapidly to the position of senior engineer, and worked as as systems engineer on various DoD and NASA programs. He also served as a NATO consultant in planning for future electronic countermeasures needs. Jim was also the recipient of several awards for excellence in engineering and accolades for his skills in explanitory oratory. He enjoyed a variety of interests including home design, cooking, sailing, architechture, oil painting, and geneaology. The family wishes to express special thanks to Jim’s good friend and primary care giver, Dr. Keith Nichols, and to a good friend and nurse, Cathy Waterman and Lynda Helmer for their extraordinary and compassionate care of Jim. They also wish to thank the many doctors, nurses, friends, and volunteers who cared for Jim. A celebration of Jim’s life will be held on Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 12:00 Noon at the Estey, Munroe & Fahey Funeral Home, 15 Park St., Owego, NY.  Immediately following the services friends and family will be invited to continue the celebration with a gathering at the Countryside Community Center, 9 Sheldon Guilde Blvd., Owego, NY from 1:00 to 4 p.m.  Burial will be at the convenience of the family.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in James H. Pursell’s memory to the ACLU, C/O the Gift Processing Department, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004, or St. John’s  Episcopal Church, C/O Debra Cole,  395 Back West Creek Road, Berkshire, NY  13736.