James F McCready

McCready, James F., age 73, of Milton, formerly of Quincy, passed away peacefully on Friday, Jan. 21. He was the beloved husband of Elizabeth A. (Costello) McCready.  Father of Matthew of Alexandria, VA and Daniel of Milton.  Brother of William P. McCready of Bangor, ME, Brother-in-Law of Michael Costello of Jamaica Plain.  A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary of the Hills Church, Milton, Thursday morning at 10:00. Visiting hours will be held at the Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home, 326 Granite Ave., Milton, Wednesday, 4 to 8 PM.  Burial will be in Milton Cemetery.  

James McCready, known to most as Jim, was often a quiet man, but in that quiet was great love and concern.

Jim was born in Dorchester, Mass. on February 25, 1948 to William and Helen McCready, the youngest of three children with oldest sister Mary and middle brother William.

He took after his father in many ways inheriting a love of the game cribbage and a love of numbers, prompting him to enroll in Bentley College and pursue a career in accounting.

It was during these college years, while at a bar near Fenway Park, where he had a brief conversation (some would say disagreement) with a pretty brunette immigrant from Liverpool who grew up in Jamaica Plain, named Betty Costello.

They met up once again, and before long they were married, a marriage that would last 50 years. Jim and Betty would often joke about their first meeting and subsequent wedding where Jim and his brother Bill got into a lively conversation and arrived a few minutes late for the ceremony.

While there first meeting and wedding were humorous their love for one another was very real with Betty often saying to him that “I am lucky that I have you,” to which he would reply “I’m the lucky one.”

He also became a second son to his mother-in-law Ethel who always liked Jim to take her places because he was always so accommodating and patient.

Their marriage led to a family with two sons, Matthew and Daniel.

The boys were different in many ways, with Matthew being more studious and mathematical, and Daniel being more extroverted, but Jim loved them both and was involved in all their activities learning about soccer for the first time so he could coach his sons, volunteering as a treasurer for their local Boy Scout Troop, and become a speech and debate judge, at one point travelling all the way to Topeka, KS to serve as judge at the National Catholic Forensics League National Tournament.

He encouraged his children to work hard and helped them in their endeavors paying for them to attend Catholic Memorial High School and college afterwards. Jim also became a sought after proofreader for class assignments and the first reviewer for many video projects.

Jim would often travel out to some far flung places when their youngest had a show or performance to be right there, laughing and cheering him on.

Jim and Betty had a vibrant social circle, hosting game nights with friends and family, and becoming the go-to house for their boys’ friends or anyone else who might want to drop by for a chat and a cup of tea, with many saying how Jim was a quiet but charming man who put people at ease.

When health problems started to make things more difficult for him, his biggest concern was becoming a burden to others, which his family had to remind him he never was.

He still celebrated holidays and despite COVID he was able to spend one last Christmas with both his sons and enjoy a lovely dinner with Daniel’s girlfriend Meghan and her family, an event that ended up running late into the night with lots of laughter and talk.

Jim unfortunately had one more trip to the hospital but was able to come home and spend time with his family until that Friday morning where he would have his last conversation with Betty where they told each other how much they loved each other.

Sadly Jim is now gone and that quiet man, who did so much for others without fanfare, has left behind an absence that is very much heard.

In Heaven he now sees his father, mother, and sister Mary along with Ethel, the mother-in-law who adored him.

He leaves behind the love of his life, Betty and his two sons Matthew and Daniel and Daniel’s long-time girlfriend Meghan, his brother-in-law Michael and numerous friends.

While Jim and Betty would constantly debate who between the two of them was the lucky one, all those who knew him would agree, we think we were the lucky ones.

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