July 1,1946- November 29th, 2023
James “Jim” Arnold Stroup died peacefully surrounded by his family on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, after a four year battle with cancer. Jim was 77 years old.
Born in Muncy, PA on July 1, 1946, Jim was the third son to William Leroy and Sara (Brown) Stroup, and youngest brother to Robert “Bob” and William “Bill” Stroup. After graduating from Muncy High School in 1964 as the captain of his football team and class president, Jim went on to earn a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University in 1968. His first job took him to upstate New York; in 1974, Jim moved to New York City for a successful 40-year career in pharmaceutical advertising.
It was in New York City during the spring of 1981 where Jim met Christine (née Roche), the love of his life. They married in 1982 and settled full time in Wilton while enjoying summers at the beach with extended family in Avalon, NJ.
Jim retired in 2011, and shortly thereafter, he and Christine traded in their Wilton home for an apartment in the West Village to rekindle their New York City beginnings and took advantage of all the city had to offer. In 2015, they decided to join their daughter, Julia, in Denver, CO to start their next chapter as newly minted grandparents.
Always the athlete, Jim played sports his entire life on the field as well as on various courts. He enjoyed the camaraderie and competition of golf, tennis, pickleball, and gambling around the dinner table. Jim introduced his family to skiing, loved spending time with his grandchildren, and was a top-notch babysitter. A silent mentor, he influenced many in his nearly eight decades and formed lifelong groups of friends including the Muncy boys, his New York City buddies aka the “Esoteric Society of Drinkers of Thursday Evening,” Wilton pals, and golf partners on both coasts. Jim will forever be remembered as a kind soul.
To summarize his life, his close Muncy friends, Diana and John Konkle, said it best:“In every instance, every opportunity, every decision, Jim did what was right. He chose right over easy many times. It is this goodness that will be with him on this next journey.”
Jim is survived by his wife Christine; their children, Julia (Robert) Brown, Douglas (Caitlyn) Stroup, and Maxwell (Camille) Stroup; Kimberly (Christopher) Dickerson and Alice (Scott) Stout (their mother, Mary Clinger Herzenberg); brother Robert Stroup; and his 11 beloved grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Church of the Ascension, 600 Gilpin St., Denver, CO 80218, Attn: Sarah Dougherty (please note “James Stroup Fund” in the check memo); alternatively, to the University of Colorado Cancer Center General Research Fund, and use the drop-down menu to donate “in honor of” and enter “James Stroup.” (Only the honoree’s name is required).