James Thomas Avery, III

James T. Avery III, “Jim”, 79, died peacefully on March 27, 2025, in hospice in Durham, NC after a prolonged illness.

Born in Richmond, VA on July 21, 1945, to Hester and Col. James T. Avery Jr, Jim was raised on army bases throughout Europe and the United States. He spent 2 idyllic junior high school years at Los Alamos, NM riding around on a Vespa scooter and earning his Eagle Scout rank. He met his wife of 58 years, Nancy, in high school while their military families were stationed in Washington, DC.

Jim was a proud Princeton Tiger and graduated with a BA in History in 1967. He was a distinguished military graduate of Army ROTC. One of his most memorable experiences at Princeton was meeting Alexander Kerensky (leader of the White Russians as Lenin took over) and Zbigniew Brzezinski (later President Carter’s National Security Advisor) during a Sino-Soviet seminar in his first year. While Princeton prepared him for the outside world and offered golden opportunities, Jim felt his service in the Army shaped his career and life successes to a much greater extent. He served as a captain in Field Artillery in the Vietnam War. He earned several honors for his combat service, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal. He was particularly proud of his Army Ranger Tab. It was in the Army that Jim felt he learned the necessary skills for success in the world—self-discipline, leadership techniques, and an action orientation.

After returning from active duty in Vietnam, he enrolled in Harvard Law and Business schools and graduated in 1975 with his J.D and M.B.A. He first worked as a lawyer at Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston. He changed careers in 1979 to business management consulting, initially with the Cambridge Research Institute and then founded his own consulting firm, the Avery Company, in 1985.

Jim remained a passionate student of history for his entire life. He was an avid reader of historical nonfiction books and loved touring battlefields all over the world. He was a member of the Brookline Thursday Club, a gentleman’s essay club, where he presented on a wide range of topics including the Civil War and the Vietnam Conflict. He transitioned to audiobooks later in life and in hospice was listening to War by Bob Woodward. His family joked about his “light reading” in his final days.

He enjoyed tennis, skiing, and golf, and was a Little League baseball coach to all 3 of his children. He was an avid collector of stamps and coins, enjoying the history captured in each piece. He was an active member of the Episcopal Church throughout his life, serving in various roles including vestryman and treasurer. Music was always an important part of his life. He remembered fondly singing in a boys’ choir as a child, and he loved singing hymns in church on Sundays (and rehearsing in the shower beforehand). He had a quick wit, and he paid no attention to those who didn’t appreciate his dry sense of humor.

Beyond all his measurable successes, he was first and foremost a husband, a father, a brother, a son, and a friend, committed in his relationships to those he loved most. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, John D. Avery, and brother-in-law, Walter Colligan. He is survived by wife, Nancy, children James T. Avery IV, Carolyn Avery, John D. Avery II, son-in-law Lars Grimm, daughter-in-law Damisela Avery, and grandchildren Evelyn and Tobias. He is also survived by his three siblings and their spouses: Richard and Sally Avery of Cohasset, MA; Nancy Colligan of Golden, CO; Robert and Dorcas Avery of Centennial, CO. He is survived by many other beloved extended family members, all considered part of the “Avery Nation.”

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to one of Jim’s favorite charitable organizations, the Wounded Warrior Project, to support the post-service needs of veterans: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/.