He vacationed at his family s summer home in Pentwater, Mich., every summer of his life except during his Navy service. His roots in Western Michigan date back to 1902, when his maternal grandfather, Wandell Topping, bought up about a mile of Lake Michigan beach frontage just north of Pentwater and developed a one-man business selling small parcels of land for modest summer cottages. The Topping family built their own cottage in the area now known as the North Beach and founded a summer colony based on a community dining hall. The fifth generation of the Topping family, James grandchildren, continue to enjoy this summer paradise, his daughter and her family spending the summer in the original dining hall building. He was preceded in death by his wife and his brother, Sydney V. James.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.