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James Harlan Rich, Jr., passed away on May 24, 2025, at home in Gladwyne, PA, at the age of 91. He was born on May 18, 1934, in Philadelphia, PA, to the late James Harlan Rich and Marion Raymond Rich. Jim grew up in the Philadelphia area and spent his childhood summers in Beach Haven, NJ, where he developed a lifelong love of the sea and sailing. He graduated from Brown University in Providence, RI with a bachelor’s degree in engineering, the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, MI with a Juris Doctor degree, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA with a Master's in Business Administration. Jim served in the United States Navy for 28 years. His three years of active duty were spent in Newport, RI and Pearl Harbor, HI. While stationed in Newport he was assigned to a Destroyer Squadron. One of his tours was to the North Atlantic, where the fleet searched for Russian submarines. He was then assigned to the Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet in Current Operations at Pearl Harbor, where he was the first programmer of early computers. He then served in the Navy Reserve for 25 years, retiring as a Captain. After his active duty in the Navy ended, he attended law school at Michigan, and was a lawyer at several law firms and corporations in the Philadelphia area, most notably serving as General Counsel of Tasty Baking Company. He then attended business school at Wharton and founded an oil services business, where he flew himself to visit clients throughout the United States and Canada. Jim became interested in flying while a student at Brown, which led to a lifelong passion for aviation. His first airplane was a Cessna 172, which he flew to the Bahamas with his wife for their honeymoon. He later owned a pressurized Cessna 337 twin-engine plane. He flew all four borders of the United States and visited almost every state, including Alaska, and many national parks in the US and Canada. He held a commercial pilot license, a flight instructor certificate, and multiple ratings including instrument, multi-engine, seaplane, and glider. Jim and his family spend their summers in Little Compton, RI. He enjoyed boating on the Sakonnet River, in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island Sound, Buzzards Bay, and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island. Jim is survived by his wife of 53 years, Mary Ann; his daughter, Sarah (Marc); his son, James III (Nadine); and his three grandchildren, Harlan, Adeline, and Eleanor, who affectionately called him “Cappy,” honoring his rank as Captain in the Navy. Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim’s memory to support the cardiac catheterization lab renovations at Lankenau Medical Center in appreciation for care given by Dr. Frank C. McGeehin, III. Donate online at mainlinehealth.org/supportLMC or mail checks to: Lankenau Medical Center Foundation, 240 N. Radnor Chester Rd., Suite 340, Radnor, PA 19087. Please note Jim’s name in the memo.

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James Harlan Rich Jr.

May 18, 1934 - May 24, 2025