James T. Branch October 25, 1932 - January 1, 2023

James T. “Jim” Branch passed away on January 1, 2023. A 50 plus year resident of Greenwich, CT, Jim spent his early years in Richmond, VA. He is survived by his loving wife Mary N. Branch, daughter Suzanne W. Branch Gaynor (Al), and sons James N. Branch (Stacey), and Travis S.Branch (Lois). Jim was the eldest of three brothers, survived by Thomas L. Branch (Pam) and William L. Branch (Doloras).

Jim was born on October 25, 1932 to Ruth Livingston Glascock and Travis Jackson “Jack” Branch, at Stuart Circle Hospital in Richmond, VA. Since he was a young boy, Jim was a beloved and always helpful presence who put family first.

In Richmond, Jim attended Ginter Park Elementary School, Chandler Junior High and Thomas Jefferson High School. He later attended the University of Maryland, graduating with a major in Psychology, and then attended the Universidad de Mexico on the GI Bill, which he particularly enjoyed. Post university, Jim enrolled in ROTC, and was soon after called to active duty. He entered Air Force ROTC pilot training and got his wings! He flew B-36s, KC-97’s for Strategic Air Command (SAC). He was assigned to various air force bases, including Loveland, Mission, Lubbock (where he was trained in multi-engines and learned how to fly a B-25), and Roswell, NM. Jim adored flying and traveled to many far-flung spots in the world through most of the 1950s.

Jim met the love of his life, Mary Jane Noble at a Christmas party in New York City in 1961. They were engaged by February and married in May. Mary pursued art research at the Frick Museum, and Jim entered a training program at Merrill Lynch. Jim rose to become a top producing broker, a member of the Chairman’s Club and the Charles E. Merrill Circle. As ambassadors for ML, Jim and Mary entertained top producers from all over the country in NYC. As well, they traveled the world with ML, attending many international conferences.

With a growing family, and to be closer to Mary’s parents, Mary and Jim moved to the suburbs of Greenwich in 1965. Jim was a natural athlete, like his father Jack (a scratch golfer, club champ at Congressional CC, and almost pro baseball player), but Jim’s sport was tennis. He joined the Greenwich Country Club. He and his tennis partners won many tournaments at GCC and elsewhere. He loved playing games and sports with his children – ping pong every night after dinner, and tennis – always managing to hit the ball where we were not, but somehow managing to keep the game going so all had fun.

Jim was an extremely devoted husband to Mary and father to Suzanne, Jimmy and Travis. Not a day would go by that he did not express his love and pride in his family. He was the first to look for solutions. He was always smiling. He had a humble yet magnetic personality. He was a good listener and had a quick wit. He remained a Virginia gentleman to the last and will be laid to rest there, at a private family celebration this spring. Jim has earned a new set of wings!