1953-2026
James Earl Thorpe, born March 3, 1953, in Baltimore, MD passed unexpectedly on Jan. 4, 2026. He was son of the late Earl & Esther Thorpe.
Jim attended Loyola High School in Baltimore before the family moved to PA in 1969 where he then graduated from Archbishop Wood HS. He went on to earn a BS degree in Business Administration from Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA. He worked for several large corporations throughout his career directing and managing their daily operations. Jim was an avid athlete from a young age winning many awards in Football, Wrestling and Baseball (playing for Senior Leagues well into his 50’s). He also played golf and seldom broke his clubs. He was named for the Olympian Jim Thorpe who as DNA would later discover was a distant cousin. In later years he became the family ancestry historian working tirelessly tracing the family lines back to the 12th century.
Jim is survived by sons Ken (Susie), Doug (Jes), Dan (Jen), sisters Joanne Tutor (George), Jeanette Dalton (Don) and brother Mike (Rhonda). 12 grandchildren, 1 niece, 4 nephews, 5 great nieces, 1 great nephew and 2 great grandsons. He is also survived by dear friends Alex Anto and Mike Knobloch.
We invite all friends who knew Jim to come and share stories at a memorial service to be held at Adamson’s Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 1312 Chestnut Ave. DuBois, PA on Sunday, January 11,2026 from 2-4pm. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to National Kidney Foundation at kidney.org.
Online condolences may be made at www.adamsonfuneral.com.
