James A. ‘Jim’ McQuiston obit

James A. ‘Jim’ McQuiston, 75

 He was not on the list.

With deepest sorrow, we announce the unexpected passing of James A. McQuiston, a devoted father, cherished husband and proud bearer of the family name. He left our world suddenly on the evening of Dec. 6, leaving behind a legacy of love, integrity and quiet strength that will never be forgotten.

Seventy-five years ago, Jim was born in Corry, Pa., to Arthur and Veronica (Malec) McQuiston. Alongside his four sisters, he grew into the unique man he would become. Much of his early life was spent working long days, and often well into the night. An old printing press nestled in a dirt floor basement provided a rhythmic white noise for his sleeping family, while he worked until just before daybreak.

While providing for his growing family during the weekdays, he made time to play in numerous bands on the weekends and mastered countless instruments. His bandmates became his brothers-in-arms as he collected sixty years of tales.

From these humble beginnings, Jim’s life grew in wildly diverse ways marked by creativity, curiosity, and conscientiousness. Through to his last days, he maintained a work ethic that few men half his age could match. Over the years, these qualities led to numerous accomplishments that filled him and others with joy.

Initially sparked by meaningful journeys with his son, Jim later became an intrepid traveler later. He and his beloved wife Elizabeth collected stamp after stamp in their passports as they crisscrossed the world. It became routine for them to check off multiple once-in-a-lifetime “bucket-list” items within the same year. Jim and Beth shared decades of love, laughter, and adventure together. They traveled the world, played music side by side, performed in the same band, and spent countless hours talking, laughing, and simply holding hands.

All along the way, Jim collected stories by noticing things that others hadn’t, digging deeper than others could, and making nuanced & complex connections. He grew into, and beyond, what he always had been: a uniquely gifted storyteller. This naturally evolved into becoming an author, and a prolific one at that. Jim has published dozens of books and has been featured in widely read periodicals such as the Highlander. This earned him recognition among historians who valued his deep research, encyclopedic memory and trustworthy analysis.

He became a sought-after speaker, a leader in numerous international historical organizations, and earned the designation FSA-Scot granted to him by the National Museum of Scotland, which denotes his recognition as a Fellow in the prestigious Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Moving beyond traditional historic interests and inspired by an old Reader’s Digest article he read as a child, he dove into the mysteries and “Curse of Oak Island” in Nova Scotia. The TV show of the same name yields up to 3 million viewers per week, and Jim became one of its most prominent theorists, having flown to Nova Scotia to appear on-screen each season and well over a dozen times.

With all his achievements, Jim would be the first to note that his greatest accomplishment was the remarkable relationships he had with his family and friends.  Some deaths are marked by regret for things left unsaid. Some by lingering crosswords never resolved.

But that is not the case here. Jim was openly and actively adored by his wife and children. He had the rare pleasure of being shown and told this often. Jim and Beth loved each other like teenagers discovering that their crush loves them too. For his son, Jim was more than simply the best man at his wedding. He was quite literally Jimmy’s best friend. They would regularly talk for hours on the phone. For his daughter Julee, he was the person she wanted to call every single day—the one she shared everything with and turned to for answers. He was her hero and always seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear. Sometimes, Jim would ask his son, “Have I ever told you the story about…?” And Jimmy would always answer “no,” just so he could hear his voice for a little longer.

As a father, Jim was patient and unfailingly kind, the wisest man we knew. To both his son and daughter, he offered not only love, but trust—giving us the freedom to make mistakes, while knowing he would always catch us if we stumbled. He was a storyteller in every sense, weaving wisdom, humor, music and love into every chapter of his life and sharing his stories with everyone around him. In every moment, those who knew him felt how fortunate they were to have him in their lives.

His greatest story was the life he created — one we all knew we were lucky to be written into.

Family and friends are invited to call at Bracken Funeral Home Inc., 315 N. Center St., Corry, PA 16407 on Friday, Dec. 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. and are invited to attend a funeral service there on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 11 a.m.