James G.

Stier

Jim Stier, a pioneer in the business art of investor relations at W.R. Grace & Co., passed on peacefully January 3. He was 94 and was living with his son Kenneth in Poughkeepsie.

Jim grew up in Great Neck, was a graduate of Portsmouth Priory and Princeton ('50) - where he crewed, winning at the Henley Royal Regatta in England in 1948 and 1949 – and later served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.

He earned a NYU finance degree, and attended the Harvard Business School program for senior executives while at Grace, where he thoroughly enjoyed his four-decade long career, most as director of investor and shareholder relations. He served on the board of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and was the recipient of numerous professional awards.

With his wife, Virginia (Nicholson) Stier, they raised five children in Montclair (41 Prospect Ave), where they were well-known for lively cocktail parties and hosting out-of-town house guests on their large property also home to a menagerie of animals. The family were long time Montclair Golf Club members and competed as swimmers, golfers and in paddle tennis.  As empty-nesters, Jim and Ginny, first downsized to Verona (9 Hathaway Lane) and later retired to their beloved summer home in Montauk where their convivial generosity earned them a wide circle of devoted friends.

Virginia died in 2016 and is buried in Montauk. Jim is survived by his brother, Kenneth A. Stier, Jr. – their sister, Lynn Byrne died in 2020-  all his children (Gregory, Gretchen Callahan, Heidi Barberio, Gerard), six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. There will be a funeral service at St. Therese de Lisieux Catholic church in Montauk February 4. If desired, any donations are suggested to go to the Concerned Citizens of Montauk (CCOM)