James Anthony Cosentino

James Anthony Cosentino, age 72, was granted his angel wings. James often spoke of what he termed would be his “big reunion party” where he would ‘link-up’ with past family and friends that had touched him early and often during his lifetime, helping to form his work ethic and inspiring him to provide a positive influence on others in some small way throughout his relatively short, yet memorable life. He will live on forever in our hearts along with his deceased wife (and love of his life) Mary, who passed on ahead of him in 2012.

Born in Richmond Hill, Queens NYC on June 25th 1950 to Joseph and Lucy Cosentino, Jim was the middle child of a family of five children which included older sister Diane, older brother “Tony” (Anthony), and Joe & Frank, his two identical twin younger brothers. James never got a chance to meet his youngest brother “Rudy”, who died of a brain tumor at 6 months, nor was he able to meet his uncle – US Army pfc James Cosentino, whom he was named after, as he was one of three uncles who served in battle in Italy and Germany during World War II with the 85th Infantry Division, and so “uncle Jim” was killed-in-action and was buried in the Florence American Cemetery in Via Cassia, Italy. James will now have that opportunity to ‘link-up” with his uncle Jim and brother Rudy, as well as his wife Mary, and a rather large and close family.

It was well known that James pursued life with gusto and strove for excellence, weather as a student, an athlete, a technologist, or in the community in general. His family often joked that his experiencing the “middle child syndrome” resulted in a type-A Over-Achiever’s personality, which resulted in his ‘running at full speed, all day long’. James attended Christ the King High School in NYC and Marist College in Poughkeepsie. At both institutions, he was a high honor roll student, a standout Varsity Basketball player, Student Government representative, and participant in many club activities. James received several academic and athletic scholarship awards, and in 1968 was a member of the first group of recipients of the NY Governor’s Scholastic Achievement Award. Post-graduation, James was appointed to the Executive Board of the Marist College Alumni Association, a position he held for 6 years – and during 1 of those years he chaired the alumni division for the annual Marist Fund campaign.

Upon graduation from Marist, James entered the workforce with the IBM Corporation where he worked for over thirty years, interrupted by US Navy service (Jim was a member of the Navy SeaBees and served in Mobile Construction Battalions 19, 13 and 12), the Systems Directorships of Ulster and Dutchess County’s Information Processing Centers, and as the Coliseum Location Manager for the Results Reporting System at the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics. As part of that assignment, James was on the team that developed and implemented a state-of-the art system for the Olympic Games and was assigned the role of Situation Team Manager to ensure its operation went flawlessly.  James and his teammates were awarded a watch and a special Olympic Technology pin, which was a gift from the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to those people who helped create the technology of the 1984 Olympic Games.

During his IBM career, James started out as a Marketing Rep, then left IBM and went to work for Ulster and Dutchess County governments and doing some outside consulting, and finally rejoining IBM as a field Systems Engineer. Rising thru the ranks to a Senior Consulting Systems Engineer (the highest level in the SE profession), followed by a stint as a Large Systems and Storage Systems Product Specialist, then spending the last 7 years as the lead Storage Consultant with the Executive Briefing Center within the IBM Poughkeepsie Lab, and as a member of the IBM TopGun training staff, where he was sent on assignments literally all over the world. James was a member of the IBM Quarter Century Club and was awarded a total of twenty-two System Engineering Symposiums - 100% Clubs – IBM Golden Circles.  He was twice the National Director of the SE Symposium, three times a Regional Director, and was once the National Director of IBM’s Golden Circle event. In 1992 he was named Top Performer: Consultant of the Year for IBM’s Northeast Trading Area.   

Locally, James was a member of the Asbury-Katsbaan Fire Company for four years, where he successfully procured two IBM-Community Grants for the maintenance and improvement of the fire house. He coached children within the Saugerties Athletic Association’s sponsored Biddy Basketball league and the T-ball / Grasshopper children’s baseball town leagues when his children were young. During the summer before his son’s senior year in Saugerties High School, James was a manager/coach of the “Hudson Valley Knights”, an AAU basketball team club that Joseph was a member of.   

Leaving to mourn are primarily Joseph and Tara – his treasured children and brother Joe. John Griffin – his brother-in-law, Joan Hanley – his sister-in-law, Erica Cosentino – his daughter-in-law, grandchildren Jackson and Brynn Cosentino and the members of his immediate and extended family (Sherri, Joseph, Trish, Hailee, Rose, Lisa, Madison, Dana, Olive, Samantha, Meghan, Kevin, Mathew, Michael, Dawn, Clara, Tom, Larry, Maureen, Sarah, Ann Marie, Jerry, Joe, Nicole, Noel, Bobby, and David), and many personal, professional, and Navy friends that were made over the years.  

James is predeceased primarily by his wife of 38 years – Mary, by Joseph and Lucy - his loving parents, his brothers: Tony (who was Jim’s inspiration). Sister Diane and Rudy, Frank, nephew Jimmy and his brother-Law Tom Hanley, his in-laws: Thomas and Ellen Hanley, and by many aunts, uncles and cousins who were memories from long ago, but now are family members to be rejoined on a heavenly plane.

His Funeral Procession will form 9:15 AM Thursday at the Seamon-Wilsey Funeral Home, 45 John Street in Saugerties, thence to St John the Evangelist Roman Catholic church where at 10:00 AM a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered. Interment will follow at the Blue Mountain Cemetery. Friends will be received on Wednesday from 2-4 PM and 7-9 PM. 

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