James F. Daily, Jr. of Westbrook, passed away on Feb. 1 after a brief illness. He remained the master of the quick exit!

Jim was predeceased by his wife, Eileen, and by his daughter Amy Daily of Boston; he is survived by his son Jeff Daily and daughter-in-law Bethany and his grandchildren, Meade and Rynne, all of Boston; loving sisters, Barbara McLoughlin and her husband Jim of Southport, North Carolina, and Elinor Ryan and her husband Mike of Wilmington, North Carolina and several nieces and nephews.

Jim was born on Jan. 4, 1940, in Boston and graduated from Archbishop Williams High School and Northeastern University. He served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, including a deployment to France in 1958 – as he liked to remind us, he served “…on our side.” After Jim and Eileen were married, they moved to Connecticut and made Westbrook their home starting in 1974.

After a career in the commercial printing industry, Jim spent over 20 years working for the State of Connecticut’s Department of Revenue, from which he retired in 2017.

Jim was much more than work, though. He was an Emergency Medical Technician and a long-time member of the Westbrook Ambulance Association. He frequently said that it was his honor to have served as that group’s president. More recently, Jim gave his time to Connecticut Hospice as a volunteer at Middlesex Hospital. He also somehow endured several stints as a youth sports coach – he may not have loved that as much as some of the other work.

To say that Jim was an avid golfer is one of the biggest understatements there is. He loved his time on the course, the time planning and thinking about getting on the course and counting down the days of winter until he could be back on the course. He would watch any golf that was televised, which his TV seemed to be able to find on its own. He was a master at needling others on the course, but it was never mean-spirited, and he equally enjoyed sharing in others’ successes. As he got older, he didn’t hit the ball as far as he used to, but he could chip from anywhere and you’d always wonder how he’d managed to beat you. He enjoyed traveling to warmer climates to play golf with family and friends. He had a strong corps of golf buddies that went all over Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island to have fun together. He seemed to particularly enjoy the days when three generations of Dailys got to play together.

Jim found sobriety 14 years ago and embraced it every day. This truly changed his life, and it is another understatement to say that he always appreciated what people and the fellowship did for him and how it fostered a structure for him to live by. Jim made tremendous and supportive friends along the way. He continually gave of himself, serving the community and helping others in their journeys of recovery.

In lieu of flowers, Jim has requested donations to either Connecticut Hospice (www.hospice.com) or the Westbrook Ambulance Association (www.westbrookems.com).

A private memorial service will be held at a later date.