James Luisi Obituary

James Thomas Luisi, of Westford Vermont, passed away on July 6, 2025.
Born on September 25, 1956 in Torrington CT, James was an engineer from his earliest days. He grew up learning from his father how to take everything apart and put anything back together. This defined some of his lifelong characteristics of ingenuity, do-it-(and-everything)-yourself, and fierce independence. In that spirit Jim once removed all the panels, nuts, bolts, washers, and circuitry of a pellet stove weighing four-hundred pounds, carried it upstairs and reassembled it into its permanent home. And no matter how ad hoc or innovative the method, the craftsmanship was precise and professional.
These qualities were put to expert use in a decades-long career as an engineer with IBM, and later GlobalFoundries, rising to the upper echelons of the engineering bands with just an associates degree from Waterbury State Technical School and an endless interest and aptitude for learning about, creating, and evolving new technology.
He also took his passion for engineering into his life, where he lovingly and expertly remodeled his homes, built computers for his children, upgraded and reengineered his boats, tractors, RV and gadgets of every kind.
His legacy includes writing one of the first digital music library interfaces, which was ahead of its time and influential in changing the way the world accessed music. Further, he coded one of the very first public facing e-commerce websites. He was also quite proud of his database and research backed contributions to the Project Farm channel. These types of projects were done not for financial gain or notoriety but simply because he believed in their potential.
Jim also had a life-long love of tennis-some of the highlights of his week were playing with his son Mike. His favorite player was Roger Federer and he'd often be seen wearing a Federer cap, one of which has been lost to the depths of Lake Champlain, although a second was rescued when it unwittingly decided to take flight during one of his classic boating 'blast offs.'
He had a passion for boats and being on the water. From a Hobie tandem Catamaran, to a Sea-Doo 'PWC', his final boat the 'Sea-Doo-Be-Do', or the crowd favorite 1994 Bayliner, his boats were unique and tricked out in every way, through official modifications, third-party creations, or when neither fit the bill, via a vast multitude of his own inventions.
Jim was a quiet, independent person, but never hesitated to go out of his way to help his family, neighbors, and anyone in need. He was a loving, caring and kind father who made time for his kids. He taught them to strive for more, even if he didn't always know the way. Jim had a distinct sense of humor, love of wordplay, and was notorious for youthful "pranks." A family favorite of which was the time he hid a microphone in a sewer and scared all the neighborhood kids with his best ghoul voice.
He leaves his two children, Kimb and Mike, son-in-law Dan Young and cat Dopey, sisters Donna Luise (Whit Morrison), Janice Luise (Dave Lutkus), and Linda Collier (Rick Collier), and nieces and nephews Eric, Kurt, Matt and Jillian, and their partners and children. James was predeceased by his father Tom and mother Anna Luise and niece Dawn.
Services will be private, but the family invites you to share your memories and condolences in the comments. In lieu of flowers consider donating to https://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/support/donate in his honor.