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James Arthur McQuiston

James Arthur McQuiston

Male 1950 - 2025  (75 years)


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  • Name James Arthur McQuiston 
    Nickname Jim 
    Birth 2 Feb 1950  Corry, Erie County, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location  [1] 
    Gender Male 
    Death 6 Dec 2025  North East, Erie County, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location  [2] 
    • James McQuiston Obituary

      With deepest sorrow, we announce the unexpected passing of James A. McQuiston, a devoted father, cherished husband, and proud bearer of the family name. He left our world suddenly on the evening of December 6th, leaving behind a legacy of love, integrity, and quiet strength that will never be forgotten.
      Seventy-five years ago, Jim was born in Corry to Arthur and Veronica (Malec) McQuiston. Alongside his four sisters, he grew into the unique man he would become. Much of his early life was spent working long days, and often well into the night. An old printing press nestled in a dirt floor basement provided a rhythmic white noise for his sleeping family, while he worked until just before daybreak.
      While providing for his growing family during the weekdays, he made time to play in numerous bands on the weekends and mastered countless instruments. His bandmates became his brothers-in-arms as he collected sixty years of tales.
      From these humble beginnings, Jim's life grew in wildly diverse ways marked by creativity, curiosity, and conscientiousness. Through to his last days, he maintained a work ethic that few men half his age could match. Over the years, these qualities led to numerous accomplishments that filled him and others with joy.
      Initially sparked by meaningful journeys with his son, Jim later became an intrepid traveler later. He and his beloved wife Elizabeth collected stamp after stamp in their passports as they crisscrossed the world. It became routine for them to check off multiple once-in-a-lifetime "bucket-list" items within the same year. Jim and Beth shared decades of love, laughter, and adventure together. They traveled the world, played music side by side, performed in the same band, and spent countless hours talking, laughing, and simply holding hands.
      All along the way, Jim collected stories by noticing things that others hadn't, digging deeper than others could, and making nuanced & complex connections. He grew into, and beyond, what he always had been: a uniquely gifted storyteller. This naturally evolved into becoming an author, and a prolific one at that. Jim has published dozens of books and has been featured in widely read periodicals such as the Highlander. This earned him recognition among historians who valued his deep research, encyclopedic memory, and trustworthy analysis.
      He became a sought-after speaker, a leader in numerous international historical organizations, and earned the designation FSA-Scot granted to him by the National Museum of Scotland, which denotes his recognition as a Fellow in the prestigious Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Moving beyond traditional historic interests and inspired by an old Reader's Digest article he read as a child, he dove into the mysteries and "Curse of Oak Island" in Nova Scotia. The TV show of the same name yields up to 3 million viewers per week, and Jim became one of its most prominent theorists, having flown to Nova Scotia to appear on-screen each season and well over a dozen times.
      With all his achievements, Jim would be the first to note that his greatest accomplishment was the remarkable relationships he had with his family and friends. Some deaths are marked by regret for things left unsaid. Some by lingering crosswords never resolved.
      But that is not the case here. Jim was openly and actively adored by his wife and children. He had the rare pleasure of being shown and told this often. Jim and Beth loved each other like teenagers discovering that their crush loves them too. For his son, Jim was more than simply the Best Man at his wedding. He was quite literally Jimmy's best friend. They would regularly talk for hours on the phone. For his daughter Julee, he was the person she wanted to call every single day-the one she shared everything with and turned to for answers. He was her hero and always seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear. Sometimes, Jim would ask his son, "Have I ever told you the story about ?" And Jimmy would always answer 'no,' just so he could hear his voice for a little longer.
      As a father, Jim was patient and unfailingly kind, the wisest man we knew. To both his son and daughter, he offered not only love, but trust-giving us the freedom to make mistakes, while knowing he would always catch us if we stumbled. He was a storyteller in every sense, weaving wisdom, humor, music, and love into every chapter of his life, and sharing his stories with everyone around him. In every moment, those who knew him felt how fortunate they were to have him in their lives.
      His greatest story was the life he created-one we all knew we were lucky to be written into.
      Family and friends are invited to call at Bracken Funeral Home, Inc., 315 N. Center St, Corry, PA 16407 on Friday, December 12th from 2 pm to 4 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm and are invited to attend a funeral service there on Saturday, December 13th at 11 am.
      To sign the guest book or send condolences, please visit www.brackenfh.com.
      To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James, please visit our floral store.

      Obituary published on Legacy.com by Bracken Funeral Home, Inc. - Corry on Dec. 9, 2025.
    Person ID I10691  Family
    Last Modified 9 Dec 2025 

    Father Arthur Alva McQuiston,   b. 12 Nov 1920   d. 5 May 2004, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 83 years) 
    Mother Veronica Pauline Malec,   b. 29 Jun 1922, Pittsfield, Warren County, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 20 Sep 2019, Corry, Erie County, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 97 years) 
    Marriage 1946  [3] 
    Family ID F3468  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Gayle L. Pike 
    Children 
     1. Julia Sue McQuiston
     2. James Paul McQuiston
    Family ID F3470  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 16 Mar 2026 

    Family 2 Elizabeth,   b. 28 Sep 
    Marriage 22 Feb 2001 
    Family ID F8176  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 16 Mar 2026 

  • Sources 
    1. [S211] McQuiston, James Arthur.

    2. [S2669] Legacy Website, online; 9 December 2025; James A. "Jim" McQuiston obituary 2025.
      James A. "Jim" McQuiston Obituary (2025) - Corry, PA - Bracken Funeral Home, Inc. - Corry

    3. [S2669] Legacy Website, 26 September 2019; Veronica P. McQuiston Obituary 2019.
      Veronica Pauline McQuiston, known affectionately as Ronnie, passed away at 97 peacefully in her home on Mead Avenue in Corry on Friday, September 20, 2019 with her twin daughters at her side. She was born June 29th, 1922 in Pittsfield Pa., the daughter of George and Anthonette (Wilgus) Malec, both from Poland. She grew up on a dairy farm in Youngsville Pa. and attended schools there until moving to Corry when she was 17. As a young woman, she worked many jobs including being a nanny, a waitress, a housekeeper, a retail clerk and at the Aero Supply where she inspected airplane parts during the war. She met Arthur A. McQuiston in 1944 and they married in 1946. After having 5 children, she went to work at Elgin Electronics in 1965 and retired after 21 years. She was an active member of St. Thomas parish and helped with their Monday night bingo for several years.

      As a loving and devoted mother, faith and family were of utmost importance to Ronnie so Sundays were spent attending Mass followed by dinner and playing cards enabling quality time together. She still played cards often up until a few weeks ago and was known to "beat" her kids. She also enjoyed polka dancing, gardening, flowers, birds and watching the little league games from her front yard with Art. She collected plates from all over the world but her passion for bears led to quite a cumulation.　
      In addition to her parents, Veronica was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Arthur A. McQuiston, her only sister Florence (Jack) Rapp, all 4 brothers and their wives, Ed (Eleanor), Benny (Isabel), Chester (Sophie) and Bill (Ann) Malec along with many sister and brother-in-laws and a granddaughter, Dominique Drain.　
      Veronica is survived by her children, Janet Creighton of Bedford, Pa., Margaret Drain of Houston Texas, James and his wife Beth McQuiston of North East, Pa, Sherry McQuiston of Murrysville, Pa. and Terry and her husband Thomas Zale of Cheektowaga, N.Y. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren including David, Jeff (Shirley), Gary and Michael Creighton, Julia (Donald) Wagner, James Paul (Jenny) McQuiston, Kelly (Bryan) Hansen, Brittany and Chelsea Zale and Neela (Trevor) Manendo. She is also survived by 12 great grandchildren including Autumn Creighton, Don, Dylan, Kate and Kelsey Wagner, Luke and Jack McQuiston, Peyton Hansen, Ray, Louis and Seth Manendo and newborn Ethan Creighton. Veronica is also survived by one sister-in-law, Elnora McQuiston of Austin, Texas, good friend and neighbor, Darlene Lewis and several nieces and nephews.　
      The family would like to thank Community Nursing of North East Home Health And Hospice nurses and aides and her personal caregivers over the past few years, especially Sheila Parker, Judy Walton, Kelley Griswold, Lisa Fox, Angela Powers, Kim Chuzie and Stacy Southworth.　
      Family and friends may call at the Bracken Funeral Home, Inc. 315 N. Center St., Corry, Pa., on Tuesday from 2 to 4 pm and 6 to 8 pm. A parish scripture service will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday at 7:30 pm. A prayer service will be held at the funeral home on Wednesday at 10:30 am, followed by the Funeral Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church at 11 am., celebrated with Rev. D. G. Davis and concelebrant Rev. Thomas E. Brown.
      Burial will be in St. Thomas Cemetery, Corry, Pa.
      Memorials may be made to the St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, 203 W. Washington St., Corry, PA 16407 and to the Community Nursing Service of North East- Corry Unit, 7 Park St., North East, PA 16428.