Obituary of James Ross Traa

TROY, NY- James Ross Traa, 76, died peacefully on May 26, 2015 surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA, lived in Philadelphia and Birmingham, MI as a child. Jim attended Bullis Preparatory School in Maryland and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1961. Upon receiving his commission, he served as a nuclear submariner aboard the USS Haddo (SSN-604) from 1963-1967. Throughout his professional career, Jim held top-level executive positions at General Electric, TENNECO/Newport News Industrial, Siemens AG and LG&E Energy Corporation. Jim was an active community member in Troy, NY and with St. Ann Maronite Catholic Church in Watervliet where he was honored as a "Jewel of St. Ann's". He was a man of incredible strength and integrity and was always interested in helping others. He loved spending time with his family, playing golf with Beverly, his sons and his friends, and embarking on new adventures. He was truly selfless - even as he participated in several clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC - he was focused on doing what he could to help find a cure for Mesothelioma. He is survived by his loving family - his wife of 15 years, Beverly Wittner Traa; his children James Francis Traa II (Claudia), Laura Traa Neville (Andrew), Michael Ross Traa (Stacey), Therese Wittner, Hal Wittner (Dawn) and Natalie Wittner Kirchner (Robert); and 13 grandchildren. He is pre-deceased by his wife of 37 years, Elizabeth "Honey" Dockman Traa and his sister Susan Traa. We are grateful for the outstanding care provided by the medical staff and ICU nurses at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY and at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City, NY. Our family expresses our heartfelt thanks to all, near and far, for your prayerful consideration of Jim. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 2pm at St. Ann Maronite Catholic Church in Watervliet, NY. The family will greet guests following the service. Preparations are being made for a memorial service at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Details forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Ann Maronite Catholic Church, Watervliet, NY and the Chromosome 18 Registry and Research Society at www.chromosome18.org. Funeral Mass 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Thursday, May 28, 2015 St. Ann's Maronite Catholic Church 1919 3rd Avenue Watervliet, New York, United States 12189 Calling Hours There are no formal calling hours planned, however, the family will greet guests at the church following the mass.