Ellen & James "Jim" Labrie
 
Community mourns death of James Labrie
 
A Lasting Legacy
 
By Elizabeth Dinan 
edinan@seacoastonline.com 

Posted May. 2, 2016 at 2:20 PM
Updated May 2, 2016 at 8:25 PM 

 
PORTSMOUTH — Rye businessman and philanthropist James "Jim" Alfred Labrie died Saturday at the age of 80, leaving a legacy of generosity and compassion.
 
Labrie's son Michael said his father has "many friends who are devastated right now about his passing."
 
"They'll remember him for his compassion and generosity, in ways both known and unknown," said Michael Labrie. "A vast majority of my father's giving was under the radar. He never sought attention."
 
Michael Labrie said he'll remember his father as, "A loving father who showed us a good path.”
 
"My siblings and I will attempt to stay on that path," he said, describing the path as paved with, "love, generosity and compassion."
 
Portsmouth City Manager John Bohenko said he knew Labrie through the Rotary organization and called him "a very generous and giving man."
 
"He's done a lot for the community, a lot of it people don't even realize," Bohenko said. "He was a great guy, a very generous individual."
 
In 2014, Jim Labrie and his wife Ellen donated $100,000 to establish the skating rink at Strawberry Banke Museum through a matching donation fundraiser. Their donation was made in honor of Jim's mother, Rose Cushing Labrie, a folk artist, writer and supporter of children's programs at Strawberry Banke, museum officials said.
 
"Puddle Dock Pond is a community project that my late mother would have strongly supported," Jim Labrie said at the time. "We feel privileged to be part of an asset that will give so much back to the city we love and that has provided so many opportunities for my family over the years."
 
The rink has since been named Labrie Family Skate at Puddledock Pond.
 
Strawbery Banke trustee Zachary Slater said that after Labrie was asked to help make the skating rink vision a reality, Labrie showed planners a book of his mother's paintings, that included one which looked like a skating pond in the middle of Strawbery Banke's grounds.
 
"He then became the lead donor," Slater said. "He was a wonderful and generous man who was extremely community minded. I love the guy and I'm so sad."
 
Music Hall Director Patricia Lynch said Labrie was a generous donor to The Music Hall, as well as a patron of the arts. She called his death, "A blow to us all."
 
"He helped us with repairs, our outreach program and he made a lead gift for our upcoming Chestnut Street improvements and archway," Lynch said.
 
The Music Hall director said Labrie was "an inspiring person who walked his talk." She said he "did well for himself in the world and really wanted to give back to the community."
 
"I say he was inspiring because he had a great spirit," Lynch said. "He loved to fly planes and also felt there was a force beyond himself. He felt the world was more than about him."
 
Lynch said Labrie loved creativity and admired hard work, and instilled those values on his family.
 
"Some people leave seeds, I think Jim planted a tree," Lynch said. "I'm going to miss him. I loved when he loved a show and I was sad when he didn't. This was a really good man."
 
Labrie was born in Concord to Alfred and Rose (Cushing) Labrie, graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1953, then from St. Anselm College in 1958 with a B.A. in Business. Jim and Ellen were married on May 14, 1960 and, his family said, he deeply loved and admired his children and grandchildren. The Labries said Jim knew the importance of education and ensured that his grandchildren approached their schooling with a "sense of purpose and responsibility."
 
In 1979, Labrie founded Forum Development with business partner Anders Albertson. He was described by loved ones as "a successful businessman who dealt in honesty, fairness and integrity."
 
"He was dedicated to his pursuits as a real estate developer and stock market investor," said the Labries. "This enthusiasm for business meant that he never fully retired and endeavored to spread his vast knowledge to a perpetually present and eager audience."
 
Labrie earned his pilot’s license in 1990 and shared his joy for flying with his son Peter, who later became a pilot himself. For at least a decade, Jim flew down the Eastern Seaboard in his 1986 Cessna 182 to his Miami Beach winter home with his wife Ellen sitting co-pilot.
 
While on the ground, Labrie was an avid collector; each collection defining an era of his personal history. Some collections dissolved to accommodate new symbols of personal and spiritual growth, his family said.
 
Labrie was a member of the Portsmouth Rotary Club for 30 years and served on multiple boards including the Seacoast Board of Realtors, Portsmouth Crime Line, Portsmouth Music Hall and Greater Piscataqua Community Foundation. Jim and Ellen were knighted into the Order of St. John Jerusalem where Jim served as the Second Vice Commodore. In addition, he was a member of the Mechanics Fire Society and Warwick Club of Portsmouth; Proprietor of the Portsmouth Athenaeum; and past Commodore of the Portsmouth Yacht Club.
 
His family said Monday that he "gave without hesitation or expectation of reciprocation."
 
"Those closest to him may never know the extent of his generosity," said the family in a statement. "Even so, it is clear to all of us, that we lost a man, husband, Dad, Papa, and friend that can never be replaced. Jim will be greatly missed. His friends and family are forever changed by his love and compassion. We couldn’t be more proud of the legacy Jim has left behind."
 
Labrie is survived by his wife Ellen M. (Knight); brother Raymond; sister Christie; son Michael and wife Susan, daughter Anne Labrie, daughter Mary and husband Matthew St. Pierre, son Peter and wife Maria; and his twelve grandchildren: Stephen, Micheline, Jimmy, Madison, Alex, Mark, Cassidy, Katie, Ashe, Mia, Amelia, Sarah, and Ella. Jim is predeceased by his eldest son James Jr.