Obituaries

James Patrick Aversa, age 81, a resident of Old Forge, passed away Monday morning at Riverside Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Taylor, after a short-term illness.
Born in Old Forge on February 20, 1935, James was the son of the late Anthony and Theresa Gentile Aversa. He earned his Bachelors Degree from Ithaca College before achieving Masters Degrees in both Psychology and Education Counseling from the University of Scranton. He served his country in the U.S. Army before being honorably discharged in 1959. He was an Associate Professor of Psychology at Broome County Community College before taking positions as Vice President of Operations at each The Sage Corporation and then Superior Training Services. In 1991, he became co-owner and operator of Colleen Rose Enterprises, a franchise of gourmet coffee cafes in both Pennsylvania and Minnesota, before becoming the Director of Business Development and Franchising for Jitters Gourmet Coffee, Inc. Upon his retirement, he returned to Old Forge where he worked as a shuttle driver for the Mohegan Sun for 8 years.
A die-hard Syracuse Orangemen fanatic, James adored his family, especially his many nieces and nephews. He’ll be dearly missed.
He is survived by his brother, Gregg Aversa and wife Bette and his sister, Rosemarie Brown, all of Camp Hill; his sister-in-law, Elizabeth (Betty) Aversa of Old Forge; his former wife, Sharon Aversa of Binghamton, New York; his dear friend, Valerie Thiel of Dickson City; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Brothers, Ross and Joseph (Beansy) Aversa, and sisters, Marie Tomasetti and Ann Calabrese, also preceded him in death.
Private funeral arrangements are scheduled at the Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home, Inc., 517 North Main Street, Old Forge. Interment with military honors by the AMVETS Honor Guard will follow at Old Forge Cemetery. Please visit the funeral home’s website to leave an online condolence.