Jim was born on February 3, 1948, in Boston, MA, the oldest son of Lillian Coulombe and Max Carl Aaron. As a military child, he lived on both coasts before his family eventually settled in Jacksonville, NC. He graduated in 1966 from William Gaston High School—the first integrated Catholic school in North Carolina—and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from UNC–Chapel Hill in 1970.

When he reminisced, Jim spoke often of his childhood freedom, waterskiing with his dad and brother, Bob, playing on his high school basketball team, the cafeteria workers’ strike at UNC, and painting water towers in the summers.

After college, Jim moved to Washington, DC, where he met his first wife, Candis. Together they raised four children: Ailis (Tim Wolf), Sara (Tom Siegrist), Deirdre (Jake Schneider), and Max (Maggie Moore). Jim worked at the U.S. Department of Labor under nine presidents, retiring in 2009. He loved his children deeply, celebrating their unique gifts and encouraging them to pursue lives of joy. He was also delighted to welcome six grandchildren into the family.

In 2011, Jim moved to Saxapahaw, NC. He became active in the Alamance County Democratic Party, serving as chair during the 2012 elections, and he volunteered for several years at the local food pantry, SAFE. He married his second wife, Susan Eldon, in 2016. Jim cherished time with friends, gardening in his community gardens, grocery shopping and cooking good meals, gathering with his Sunday morning coffee klatch, and sitting on his deck with a good drink and good company.

During his final months, Jim was blessed with many visitors. He was especially grateful for that time—with his children, his friends, and his wife. After more than twenty years of complicated health challenges, he died peacefully at home early on Monday, November 24, 2025.

Jim was buried at Bluestem Conservation Cemetery on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. We will gather for a Celebration of Life at the Haw River Ballroom on Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 2:30 pm. All are welcome!

Memorial gifts may be made to two of his favorite organizations:

SAFE (the Alamance County food pantry): P.O. Box 286Saxapahaw, NC 27340

Jubilee Jobs (where he volunteered in Washington, DC) 2712 Ontario Rd. NWWashington, DC 20009