James Dimery Jr.

James Furman Dimery Jr departed this journey of life to his eternal resting place on June 22, 2020 after a brief battle with brain cancer in Yale New Haven Hospital at the age of 72. Furman Jr, as he was known to most, was born in Kingstree, SC and was the oldest son of the late Willie Meta and James Furman Dimery Sr. Throughout Furman Jr’s life, he was groomed to be involved in his family’s funeral business, Dimery & Roger’s Funeral Home, working there as early as the age of nine years old. Over time, his responsibilities grew from answering calls to driving for funerals and first call runs until he chose to pursue his own aspirations. Furman Jr graduated from Tomlinson Highschool in Kingstree, SC in 1966 where he was active on the Yearbook Staff, football, basketball and baseball teams and was voted as the Best Looking in his senior class. Furman Jr was so good in sports, he tried out for the major league baseball team, The Pittsburgh Pirates. One of Furman Jr’s historical moments was having the honor of being the driver for the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he visited Kingstree, SC in 1966 for a speech to urge black residents to vote. He continued his education at Morris College before he was enrolled in the US Army in 1968 and did his tour in Vietnam. In 1967, Furman Jr met and dated for only nine months, Barbara Jean Dimery, before making her his wife of 52 years. During their union, God blessed them with three beautiful children, Joy F Dimery-Neal (Darren), Rita J Dimery and James F Dimery III. They were further blessed with two amazing grandchildren, the late James F Dimery IV and Skylar R Dimery. He moved to New Haven, CT in 1968 and made this his permanent residence with his family, but he always had Hemmingway and Kingstree in his heart and took his family there every chance that he could. He made his mark in Connecticut and worked as a tool & die maker and welder at Newton Die Casting for 38 years. During his tenure, he served as a union steward for 20 years always advocating for his fellow co-workers and was coach for the company baseball team. In 1977 Furman Jr was accepted into Widow’s Son #1 Lodge PHA and continued his path in his masonic journey and became a 32nd degree Master Mason and held the office of Dean of Instruction. Furman Jr enjoyed carpentry, working on cars, engaging in national, historical events and going to the casinos. He loved to debate political views and sharing his knowledge of wisdom through experiences and stories, being known for having a humorous, sarcastic charisma about him.

James Dimery Jr.

February 22, 1948 - June 22, 2020