James Knowles Hosford Jr., 90, of Franklin passed away peacefully August 24 at Newton Wellesley Hospital . He was the husband of the late Sandra (Pisani) Hosford who passed away in 1999. He was also the long-time companion of the late Judith McGrath, whose love and companionship brought him great happiness in later years.
Born in Milford, August 8,1936, the son of the late James K. and Ruth E. (Heaton ) Hosford, and was a lifelong Franklin resident.
He graduated from Franklin High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg State College.
He dedicated 23 years to education, teaching for 10 years at Braintree High School before spending 13 years as an Industrial Arts teacher at Franklin High School. Throughout his career, he positively impacted the lives of countless students through his guidance and passion for teaching.
Following his teaching career, Jim worked for Rangine Corp, where he continued to apply his craftsmanship and strong work ethic.
Jim enjoyed gardening, woodworking, and above all spending time with his beloved family. He was known for his kindness, sense of humor, and dedication to those he loved.
in the United States Army during the Korean War era, attaining the rank of Specialist Second Class.
He is survived by his children, Joe Hosford and his wife Tracey of Franklin; Todd Hosford and his wife Christine of Bellingham; Devi Hosford of Nantucket ; and Tom Hosford and his wife Keli of Bellingham.
He was the father of the late James Hosford III.
He is also survived by his siblings, David Hosford, Mary (Bunny) Colella, and Ruth Jarret .
He was the brother of the late Peter and William Hosford.
Jim was the proud grandfather of Cory Hosford, Kailee (Hosford) Savage-Rule, Cote Hosford, Seth Hosford, Elora Hosford, Tim Macalone, Jack Weigel, Ryan Hosford, Moriah (Hosford) Marguerite, Andrew Hosford, and Zachary Hosford.
He was also the cherished great-grandfather of Tate Hosford, Coen Hosford, Colby Hosford, Caden Hosford, and Jacey Marguerite.
Jim’s greatest joy was his family, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
A celebration of Jim’s life will be held on Thursday, September 10 in the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin (ginleyfuneralhomes.com) 131 Main Street, Franklin between 4 - 6 p.m.
Private burial service with full military honors will be in Union Street, Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers , donations can be made to operationhomefront.org or fisherhouse.org