James Naylor
Daughter recalls father's life taken by tragic accident
By RICK BURNHAM (rick@samessenger.com)
St. Albans Messenger Staff Writer
FLETCHER - Among the images associated with James Naylor - mountain man, hunter, mechanic, maple sugarmaker - none conjure up the ability to rap. And yet, there he was in his pickup truck, rhymin' best he could, solely for the entertainment of a trio of daughters.
It is perhaps that moment, etched firmly in the mind of daughter Jennifer Kennedy, that sums up Naylor more than any other - a joking and loving man, one always there for those who needed him the most. A man who knew how to make his children smile.
"He had a special bond with his children," said Jennifer, a student at Lyndon State College. "He was an awesome father."
Naylor died Sept. 7 at his home in Fletcher when the truck he was working on shifted and came down on him. A private funeral service was to be held, and Naylor was buried in the family lot in Fletcher's Binghamville Cemetery.
Now, nearly two weeks later, details are emerging - both professional and personal - about the man many called Jim, and four little girls called Dad.
A graduate of Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax in 1975, Naylor served in the Army National Guard for 10 years, and later worked as a steamroller operator for Pike Industries. Shortly before his death, he had started his own trucking business.
Along the way, he fathered four daughters: Jessica, Jennifer and Jamie, during a previous marriage; and Elizabeth with his second wife, Lise, said Jennifer. Four grandchildren have been added to the fold in years gone by.
Over much of that time, fall was reserved for deer hunting on his land in East Fairfield, while the spring was devoted to making maple syrup in his sugarhouse. In between, he could usually be found tinkering on his cars and trucks, or working on projects for people who needed them the most He was generous with his time, Jennifer said, always doing things for family members and friends.
"He always stayed busy and was always working on projects around his house, for his mother, brother, sisters, daughters, nieces, nephews, and many other family members and friends," she said. "No matter what you asked him to do he would always try his best to do it for you. He was always there for you to depend on."
The people who knew Jim Naylor the best could always depend on a laugh or two along the way, at times when it was just, what the doctor ordered.
“He was always joking, and he would try to sing and dance," she said. "He was hilarious."
And as for his rapping skills?
"He came to pick up me and my two sisters from our mother's house for a weekend," she said. "He tried to rap in his truck, and we laughed forever. It was so funny."
Jennifer last saw her father three weeks before he died, when she brought a boyfriend up from school to meet him. That friend, and others, now provide a shoulder to lean on, she said, helping get her through the first loss of a family member in her life.
"There are still those times where I just break down and cry," she said. "It's good to let it out and not hold it inside. There are also the nightmares which I am sure will happen for a while."
The bad times are countered by a multitude of fond memories - of her father's beard and hat; of his love of Elvis and the Eagles and John Cougar Mellencamp; of him together with his dog, Savage, and his cat, Peppy, who were never far from his side.
Of his assurance to her, along with each of her sisters, that he would always be there for them.
That, Jennifer said, is perhaps the best comfort of all, knowing that her father will always be close.
We are all helping each other to make it through these hard times, and I know that my dad will be helping us along the way, too," she said. "Even though his body is not with us, he is in each of his daughters' hearts. We will always hold a piece of him with us, forever."[/b]
