James Bentley Waterbury died March 2, 2026, at Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls, after a short battle with metastatic melanoma. He was 78.
Jim was born August 2, 1947, the third of four children born to Charles Arthur and Mary Elizabeth Stoddard Waterbury. His mother once told him he was her favorite because her labor with him was so short. However, he may have made that up. We all make up the stories we need.
Jim graduated from Waterloo West High in 1965, and Princeton University in 1969. How he made it through is a testament to his professors’ patience and sense of humor. Regardless, he earned a degree in English and didn’t ask anyone if they were sure.
Jim and Carol were married for 53 years through two kids, two kids-in-law, two grandkids, three houses, two dogs, five cats, a bottle-fed lamb, a three-legged squirrel with mange, and a narcoleptic duckling. Other than the kids, most were orphans, and all were family. If you ask Carol to pick her favorite, Jim might come in just ahead of the first house, before they added the deck. If you had asked Jim, he’d have said all of the above, with Carol abovest of all.
They met as teachers at Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest, New Jersey. It was colorful. He made her laugh, and she made him weak in the knees. After three years of teaching, he proposed, she said why not, and they went back to Iowa to share 30 years of television, 20 more years of healthcare, and forever together if this thing lasts.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents Charles and Jessie Waterbury and Albertina and Stanton Stoddard; sister Mary Ellen Dewey and niece Susan Gano; and brother Thomas Wilcox Waterbury.
Jim is survived by Carol; daughter Libby (David) and grandchildren Natalie and Will; son Dan (Sarah); brother Charlie (Linda); brothers- and sisters-in-law Bill (Pam) and Tom (Beth); and nieces and nephews in California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
*A note from the family: Ever mindful, Jim wrote this obituary himself some time ago so his family wouldn’t have to. Ever humble, he also left out the most impressive parts. Fortunately, the people who loved him never needed a list.
All obituary information has been taken from the funeral home, newspaper or other online resource.
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