Hebron - James Alfred Redding, retired trumpet and piano teacher in the Granville area, died peacefully at his home in Hebron on December 22, 2012, after a long struggle with COPD.

Born on January 14, 1928 in Schenectady, NY.  Jim spent his childhood in Owatonna, MN and his high school years in Kansas City, MO.  He served in the U. S. Army from 1947 to 1951, including two years as bandsman in the Army of Occupation in Germany.

His schooling included the Kansas City Conservatory, Michigan State where he met his first wife, pianist Janis Pollok, and the Juilliard School (B.A., M.A.) where he majored in composition.  During his marriage which ended in the late 1960's, he taught piano and trumpet privately and played trumpet professionally, including a year with the Quebec Symphony.  The family moved to Boulder, CO. in the 1960's where he worked as a college traveler for Oxford University Press, and took classes at CU where many of his works were performed.  Throughout his life he enjoyed hiking and camping.

Jim met his present wife, Carol Lipman, on Thanksgiving Friday, 1972, at the Lincoln Center Fountain in New York City after they'd corresponded for six months without exchanging photos.  They were married on July 20, 1973, and he took her three sons, ages 10, 11, 12, two cats and one dog in stride.  Two of the boys took trumpet lessons from him, and all three enjoyed watching him do the daily NY Times crossword puzzles with a stop watch.  Jim was an adjunct music lecturer at Lehman College, CUNY, from 1974 - 1980.  In 1975 he received an NDEA grant to copy his Symphony for Brass and Percussion, and in 1976 his orchestral piece Green Mountain was performed by the Sage City Symphony.

Jim and Carol had bought a tiny cabin on County Rte 31 in Hebron, across from the Indian River in the fall of 1978, and in 1982, he decided to try to find work in the Granville area.  He soon joined the Area Chorus directed by Dr. Ruth. Douglass and began teaching piano and trumpet lessons privately, beginning with the sons of Roger Meisenhelder.  A "newcomer" profile written by Mike Emond was featured in the December 8, 1982, edition of the Granville Sentinel.  Jim settled in: walking his dog Poppyseed (1983-98) along the riverside, joining the Adirondack Camera Club, swimming at the Glens Falls YMCA, writing countless letters to the Post Star, expanding his cabin to include a room for student recitals, using the computer at the Pember Library, under the tutelage of librarian Joyce Oddy, and working as organist at the Granville Methodist Church.  He and Carol, who retired from the from the N.Y.C. school system in 1991, led a weekly Sing-Along at the Indian River Nursing Home for the next decade.  In 2010, they joined a group of area residents, for a 7 night Alaska Northbound cruise, a fundraiser for The Haynes House of Hope.  Jim had a full and colorful life with many high points and a few low ones.  He stopped smoking, "cold turkey" in 1994, but maintaining sobriety was a struggle.

Survivors include his wife Carol; Jim's two daughters and daughter-in-law: Lessa (CO), Deborah Lydia and Julie Rosenfeld (CT); three stepsons and daughters-in-law: Noah and Judy Lipman (NJ), Ethan and Jenifer Lipman (CA), Dan and Dechen Lipman (NYC) and six grandchildren: Elizabeth and Katie, Michael and Hannah, Kristen and Amanda, respectively.  Also, a brother and sisterin-law, Dr. Foster and Carol Redding (MI); a sister, Mary Edna Farrell (IL), and many nieces and nephews.  Finally, his canine companion for the last ten years, Eve, shelter dog originally adopted for Amanda on Christmas Eve, 2000, and a most generous gift from her to her grandfather.

There are many people to thank: Jim's dear friend and neighbor, Dorothy LaPlante Ayres, always there when he needed her, neighbors Jeff and Liz Laidlaw and Bill and Linda Dagle, ready with a helping hand, especially during the winter, his tree worker Calvin Bourn, beard and hair stylist Mary Ellen Steves, owners Mihaela and Jimmy Ieremias and the staff at the Fair Haven Inn, Jim's favorite restaurant since 1995, his primary care doctor, Roberta Flesh and nurse Joyce Williams at the Stratton VA in Albany, and VA social workers Phyllis Hundert and Rebecca Freedman. Also Evelyn Losee, his caregiver this past year when Carol was away and, during his final five weeks, the High Peaks Hospice Care Team: Karen Conrad and Michele Scally, RN's, Carol Thomas, LPN, and Stacy Chapman, Health Aide, all of whom treated him with dignity and kindness.  Stacy's twice weekly early morning visits set a positive mood for the day.  He was a  long-time fan of Jeopardy, the program provided mental stimulation through December 20th.

Jim has donated his body to the Anatomical Gift Program at New York Medical College.  A memorial service will be held at the Saratoga National Cemetery when the cremains are returned.

For those who wish to make a contribution in his memory, his chosen charity is Disabled American Veterans (DAV), P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-0301.

Local arrangements are under the direction of the Michael G. Angiolillo Funeral Home, 210 Broadway. Whitehall, N.Y.