James Alexander Gammie II

1931 - 2007

James Alexander Gammie II was born in New York, NY on December 13, 1931 to John Gammie and Helen Sims Gammie. The youngest of three, Jim or Jimmy (as he was called by friends and family) had an older sister, Barbara Jean, and older brother, John Glenn.

Jim suffered a birth injury that was diagnosed as Cerebral Palsy. He had hearing loss and a speech impediment, but that did not stop him from living a full life. He was known for his big laugh and wide smile. He had a sense of humor that was familiar to his family. He was educated and wrote many letters keeping in touch with his family as they moved away.

He spent his childhood in Great Neck, NY (Long Island), and moved to Plandome NY with his family as a teen. He was enrolled in Dr. Carlson’s School for Cerebral Palsy in Florida when he was ten. He later attended the School for the Deaf in New York City, where he learned sign language. He completed his education at Manhasset High school.

Jim’s parents were divorced in 1939, and his mother married Mac McLaughlin. He spent his summers with his mother at the Sims Ranch in Au Gres, Michigan. There he got to enjoy time with his Sims cousins, his aunts and uncles.

While physical challenged by his cerebral palsy and deafness, he remained bright and intelligent. Jim had a number of jobs. He worked as a longshoreman on the New York docks for a while. He did not hesitate to tell his boss if something could be done better or differently. This tried his boss’s patience. On one occasion this led to a fight with the boss “who wouldn’t listen” and Jim was out of a job. He worked for a period of time on a great lakes cargo vessel, and for Grummond in inventory.

He met the woman he would marry at a church social event when he was 23 years old. On January 15, 1955 he married Barbara Lange in a church ceremony at the Congregational Church of Manhasset. His brother was a chaplain in Korea at the time, returning to the States in time to welcome Jim and Barbara’s first child, James Alexander III born July 22, 1955. THe couple then welcomed Bruce Frederick on September 1, 1958 and Irene Mary on August 15, 1960.

The family first lived on Pequot Avenue in the Manorhaven area of Port Washington and then moved to Barbara’s favorite town Bayville NY in 1964 where she spent many summers as a child. Jim worked on the oyster fishing boats for Flowers and Sons in Bayville. He was a tall, muscular man who was very hard working. He would often go to the local bars after work for a few drinks. Unfortunately, that led to problems in his marriage and Barbara and Jim divorced in 1968.

After he divorced, the children remained with Barbara in Bayville and Jim moved to Tulsa, OK to be near his older brother John and his family. Jim made friends in Tulsa, primarily in the deaf community, and worked at a variety of jobs. He was a loved uncle to his nieces and nephews in Tulsa. Jim married Lois Hutchinson in 1981. She preceded him in death in December, 1996.

Jim was on dialysis for the last eight years of his life. He continued to read, write and do puzzles, and he kept a positive outlook and a sense of humor. He died in Tulsa on September 1st, 2007.