James A. Sportman

James A. Sportman of Albany, New York, died suddenly at home on March 9, 2026. He was 75.

Born in Albany on January 6, 1951, Jimmy was the son of the late Mary (O’Bryan) and William H. Sportman. He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Cardinal McCloskey High School in 1969. He went on to Siena College, where he was a member of Pi Iota Tau fraternity alongside his brother Bob, and earned a degree in finance in 1973. After a brief period with the U.S. Postal Service, he spent more than forty years as a dedicated New York State Employees Retirement Examiner. At work he cherished the camaraderie of the office softball team, shared lunches, and friendly betting pools.

Sports remained a lifelong passion. Jimmy played for many years in the North Albany softball league with his boyhood friends and was a devoted New York Yankees fan. He also looked forward each year to the Saratoga racing season spent with his close friends Mike, Kevin, and many others.

Above all, family was everything to Jimmy. He remained deeply involved in the lives of his nieces, nephews, and grandchildren, attending every birthday, holiday gathering, graduation, wedding, and game. He was known for giving the best Christmas and birthday presents, always with batteries already installed. He is survived by his partner of many years, Leigh Haefeli; stepchildren Laura, Doug, and Jeff; grandchildren Lucas, Logan, Anastasia, and Alexander; brothers Robert (the late Patricia), Joe (Joanne), John (Brenda), and Bryan (Shari) Sportman; sister Maria Maxwell; eleven nieces and nephews, Sarah, Shane, Bill, Meagan, Joey, Sabrina, JP, Michael, Bryan, Justin, and Morgan; and nine great-nieces and nephews, Keira, Charlie, Nora, Landon, Olivia, Noelle, Finnegan, Callie, and Noa.