James Nairn Ferrier, Jr.

James Nairn Ferrier, Jr., 87, of Littleton, North Carolina, passed away on March 11, 2026, at ECU Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina. Born on August 30, 1938, in Newark, New Jersey, to the late James Nairn Ferrier, Sr., and Elizabeth Goldie Ferrier, Jim grew up along the New Jersey shoreline, where he developed a lifelong passion for fishing and sailboat racing.

He attended Syracuse University and Montclair University, earning a B.A. and M.A. in Fine Arts. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his career as an art educator at Monmouth Regional High School before transitioning to the banking industry, where he worked as a human resources officer until his retirement. Throughout his life, Jim remained deeply connected to the arts, continuing to teach adult art classes and exhibiting his own work in numerous venues.

His love of the water endured as a central thread in his life. He taught his children to sail on Shark River in New Jersey and later spent many cherished hours cruising on his pontoon boat with his grandchildren on Lake Gaston. Jim moved with his wife to Lake Gaston in 2013 after many years in New Jersey.

He is survived by his wife, Cathy; his sons, Jeffrey P. Ferrier (Stacy) of New Jersey and Ian Nairn Ferrier (Karlee) of Ohio; his daughters, Stephanie Ann Ferrier (fiancé Terrence) of New Jersey and Amy C. Towery of New Jersey; and his grandchildren, Austin, Mason, Jordan, Charlotte, Cameron, Macklin, Nolan, Brynn, and Callum.