Freedom—July 14, 2024—Freedom resident James “Jim” McElroy died on June 27. He was 79 and was a resident of Ledgewood Bay Assisted Memory Care in Milford, N.H. His death was reported this week by the Conway Daily Sun.

Jim retired in 2009 and relocated to our area, eventually settling with his wife on Danforth Pond, where their home became a vacation hub for their children and grandchildren.

He was active in Freedom town affairs and conservation issues for years, perhaps most memorably as chairman of the Freedom Aquatic Invasive Species Committee, where he oversaw the town’s annual milfoil control plan and budget.

He joined the Ossipee Lake Alliance Board of Directors in 2017 and served through 2020, when his health began to decline. He also served on the board of NH LAKES, then known as the N.H. Lakes Association.

Alliance board member Tim Otterbach called Jim a “staunch advocate for cleaner water,” and recalled spending many hours on Jim’s boat helping him collect water samples for the state’s Volunteer Lake Assessment Program.

“He will be greatly missed,” Otterbach said.