ROCK HILL, SC/ SOUTH GLENS FALLS
James Halbert Friday of Rock Hill, SC passed away unexpectedly Sunday February 12, 2017 in Roanoke Rapids, NC at the age of 62.
Born November 27, 1954 in Glens Falls, NY, Jim was the son of the late Erwin Friday and Vivian (Bishop) Friday. He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him, but none more than his family and close friends. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Cindy (Billington) Friday; children Hal James Friday and wife Kerri, Stephanie (Friday) Derway, Michael Parodi and wife Beth, and Steven Parodi and wife Sarah; brothers Robert Friday and Donald Friday and wife Mary; sisters Edie Friday Tonnesen and husband Alan, and Janet Burdick and husband Jack; brother-in-law Floyd Billington, Jr. and wife Lynn; and many nephews and nieces.
Grandchildren Sophie, Allie, Morgan, Jackson and Theo will miss their G-pa greatly as the man who never failed to put a smile on their face or make them laugh when nobody else could. His innate desire to please others and boundless imagination made him a truly special grandfather.
He was predeceased by nephew Todd Burdick and sister-in-law Nancy Friday. They were never far from his thoughts, as Jim will never be far from ours.
A 1972 graduate of South Glens Falls High School, Jim later graduated from Adirondack Community College with a focus in Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD). Following service as a member of the US Civil Defense Corps, his career spanned many years in the pulp and paper industry at Ahlstrom-Kamyr in Glens Falls, NY and at Kvaerner Pulping in Charlotte, NC, and then at Tate Metal Works in Spartanburg, SC and Macuch Steel Products in Augusta, GA. Jim's later career included work in power plant engineering at Areva, Shaw, and Fluor in Charlotte, NC. While at Areva, Jim worked on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Most recently, Jim was employed as a field engineer by Fluor at a new power plant construction site near Emporia, VA. In addition to this impressive career in engineering, Jim occasionally moonlighted as a paid actor, appearing in several TV commercials.
While his professional accomplishments brought high regard from his coworkers, the true measure of a man is in the lives he has touched. He provided help without hesitation to anyone in need of it, and frequently returned to the Northeast to provide assistance of all kinds to family members. A man of deep convictions, Jim was loved and respected by friends and colleagues.
Jim was also an outgoing and competitive man who loved to play sports and pursued a broad array of hobbies. Besides cooking, gardening, and woodworking, he was deeply interested in American history and politics, and was an avid fan of the Seattle Seahawks.
Jim was a natural entertainer with a unique sense of humor. He always had something bizarre to add to the conversation, making everyone laugh, or at least crack a smile and shake their head.
A memorial service will be held at South Glens Falls United Methodist Church, 15 Maplewood Parkway, South Glens Falls, on May 6, 2017 at 11:00 am. Local arrangements are in the care of the M.B. Kilmer Funeral Home, 136 Main Street, South Glens Falls, NY 12803.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association 4 Atrium Dr. #100, Albany, NY 12205, in hopes that they, as we all, will cherish his memory and remember him fondly.
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