Died peacefully surrounded by his family, on September 2nd, 2024, last words uttered were "JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME". Co-owner of JJ Boomers Restaurant, Pawtucket Blvd. Lowell Mass., from 1998-2019 with his beloved wife, Claire A. (Surprenant) Watson, who predeceased him on 06-21-2020. Jim was born in the Centerville (Irish Section) of Lowell, the youngest male member of 6 children whose father deserted them at his young age of 5, forcing his mother to raise the family as a single mother, with only very limited Welfare support, and Government USDA Surplus Food Items. At that time there were no food stamps, no section 8 housing payments, and very limited medical resources, requiring the older children, especially his sister Esther to go to work full-time to support the family needs. Initially educated in grades 1-8 by the stern, but caring and dedicated Dominican Nuns of St. Michael's Elementary School. This provided him a solid foundation of basic life skills that helped propel him to lifelong success in the Corporate and Business World. The major life lesson taught at that time was that your individual actions will always have consequences, and those consequences were yours alone. Corporal Punishment was administered to misbehaving children as the "Rule of the Day" (Spare the rod, and spoil the child) which was believed to build character in those receiving it, and those who witnessed it. Needless to say Jim was a person of great character.

Jim's employment history began in 1956 at the age of 12 as a paper carrier for the Lowell Sun, followed in 1958 by a job as a soda jerk at the Dairy Farms Ice Cream Parlor on Bridge St. in Lowell. Soon in 1960 he was the second shift manager at Pete's Coffee Shop next to the Keith's Theater in downtown Lowell, requiring him to work 30 hours per week evenings while attending Lowell High School during the day, which he graduated from in 1962 with Honors as a Member of the National Honor Society (Top 5% of Graduates).

Following High School and lacking financial support, or meaningful adult direction he decided to work full time in a commercial paint factory (Raffi & Swanson) because it paid double the minimum wage, and entered Night School at Lowell Textile Institute, attending three evenings weekly for six years while working full time days. He graduated in 1969 with a Degree in Business, and having successfully taken college courses in Accounting and Computer Technology he next went to work at Wang Laboratories as a Computer Salesman in Downtown Boston. Followed by employment as a Computer Sales Representative in the North East with Honeywell Computer Systems, and subsequent employment with the IBM/SAP Division of Epic Data Systems as the North American National Sales Manager, until his early retirement in 2003 from Corporate America. Following his early retirement at age 59, he dedicated his energies to supporting the existing Family enterprises consisting of Claire's Gift World in Dracut Mass., and latter JJ Boomer's Restaurants in Dracut and Lowell, MA. He often joked that most customers knew only Claire as the leader and the face of the businesses and only thought of him as the head Janitor, and maintenance man, both positions he relished and did with enthusiasm until 2019, when the Lowell property was sold to Market Basket for their future development.

He was truly dedicated to the love of his life, Claire, whom he was smitten with and fell in love with in 1958 at the age 14, and later married in 1963 at the age of 19. They were constantly together until her untimely death from Brain Cancer in 2020. Claire and Jim worked together as partners in the family businesses, and enjoyed frequent travel throughout the entire US, Canada and many Caribbean Islands for business and pleasure. Jim and Claire finally settled in their dream second home in West Palm Beach, FL from 2005 to 2020, which he never returned to, following her demise, saying "it wouldn't be the same without her". He often spoke of his greatest life accomplishment, being the day he married Claire in 1963 and started their lifelong journey of love and happiness that resulted in 56 years of blissful marriage. In his waning years in 2021 at age 77 he joined the Nashua, NH Teamsters Union Local 633 as a member of the Nashua School District School Bus Monitors Program, assisting Special Needs Students to school and returning them home safely to their parents. Completing his life long pursuit of meaningful work and the sharing of his love to as many as possible. 

He is survived by his sister Geraldine Metzler of Lowell, MA, son James Waston and spouse Cindy Watson of Dracut, MA., David Watson of Hudson, NH, daughters Nicole Walters and spouse Rick Walters of Hudson, NH, and Michelle Flannery and spouse Marty Flannery of Hudson, NH, as well as Dana Tavoularis of Dracut, MA and Robyn O’Neil (Watson) of Hudson, NH, 11 fantastic grandchildren, and 3 marvelous great-grandchildren. Claire and James’ family were his most beloved accomplishments. His personal life's philosophy was always to "enjoy the little things, for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things".

Per his request, there will be no funeral services.