James O. Pilotte

James “Jim” Pilotte, husband of Nancy Pilotte, died peacefully, surrounded by his family on Thursday, September 2nd. 

He was the son of Omer and Irene Pilotte, and brother to Richard Pilotte, who all predeceased him. He is survived by his wife Nancy, with whom he shared 50 wonderful years, daughter Kristin Pilotte, son Michael Pilotte, daughter Catherine Pilotte Mullins, and 4 grandsons: Otto, Bryce, Blake, and Cameron--all of whom love and miss him dearly. 

Jim grew up in Lynn, MA and received his degree in chemistry from Boston University. He met Nancy where they were both studying at Clark University in Worcester, MA, and where he was studying nuclear chemistry. When they moved to Tallahassee, FL, he earned another degree in chemical oceanography.  From there, they moved to Dallas, TX, then Silver Spring, MD before eventually settling in Columbia, MD to raise a family. 

Jim threw himself whole-heartedly into whatever interested him. He had a special affinity for the water, and was bitten by the sailing bug in Tallahassee.  From then, sailing his own boats brought him immense joy.  He was a loving and encouraging father who enjoyed watching his children do well.  He was also the one who would ride the roller coasters with them at amusement parks, and read books about history, sailing, and science and science fiction.  His talents were many, from building furniture to becoming a ham radio operator. He loved learning and teaching others.

While living in Maryland, Jim worked for General Sciences Corporation and then InfoPro Incorporated, where he was working on environmental projects. He retired in 2011 to spend time sailing and volunteering for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. 

Jim was an amazing husband, father, sailor, and friend. He is already greatly missed by his family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim’s memory to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (https://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/).

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