James “Jim” Tierney passed away in Bradenton, Florida, on July 25, 2026. He was a scrappy pickleball player, a prolific writer of letters to the editor, a patient fly fisherman, an exquisite carver of Thanksgiving turkey, and a connoisseur of grocery stores. Though he loved to go out for Italian dinners, his favorite meal was burgers and hot dogs on the grill with his family. At a wedding, he’d be the last one on the dance floor. He could make a mean Irish coffee. He knew his way around Long Island and New York City like the back of his hand, and there was nothing he loved more than a road trip. With sandwiches.

Jim was born in 1945 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, to Helen and James Tierney. He had two younger sisters, Denise and Mary Beth. When he was in sixth grade, the family relocated to Levittown, New York, where Jim attended Island Trees High School, competing on the wrestling team and becoming class president during his senior year in 1962. Jim later served in the United States Army and was deployed to Vietnam, where he served from 1966-1967. Two weeks after returning home from Vietnam, he married Penelope “Penny” Broderick, the love of his life. He finished his bachelor’s degree in sociology at St. John’s University in Queens, New York, and became a social worker, a career to which he devoted 30 years at the Suffolk County Department of Social Services. Jim and Penny bought their first home on Long Island in Lake Ronkonkoma in 1971, where they would raise daughters Cristin and Danielle and welcome friends and family for the next 40 years. During that time, Jim earned an associate’s degree in accounting and worked nights and weekends as a tax accountant for Wandell Accounting in Amityville, New York.

After retiring from Suffolk County, Jim worked as a substitute teacher at various public schools on Long Island for the next ten years, a post-retirement gig he treasured. When the snowbird life came calling, he and Penny visited various coastal towns in Florida to scope out the scene of their next adventure. They fell in love with the pristine beaches of Anna Maria Island and moved to Holmes Beach, where they spent their days playing pickleball, soaking up the sunshine, and watching the sunsets while listening to oldies. They later relocated to Mount Vernon in Bradenton, Florida, where they made countless friends and enjoyed the parade of coastal birds outside their window. Jim spent his time fishing, eating so many Cuban sandwiches, sending his kids news articles about politics, and buying beach trinkets and treasures for his grandchildren.

Jim would give his friends the shirt off his back. To his daughters, he was the bomb. To his grandkids, he was an icon. To Penny, he was her one and only. He is survived by daughters Cristin and Danielle Tierney, sons-in-law Jim Shapiro and Gavin Tabone, grandchildren Austin Shapiro and Abby Tabone, sister Denise Tierney, sisters-in-law Cecilia Flood and Chris Von Kantor, brothers-in-law George Von Kantor and Bill Newton, and a motley crew of cousins scattered across the United States.

The family extends its sincere gratitude to the exceptional ICU team at Blake Hospital, who took excellent care of him in his final hours. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Selby Botanical Gardens at www.selby.org, 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL 34236, or Vote Vets at www.votevets.org, P.O. Box 11293, Portland, OR 97211. Rest easy, Gramps—and let’s hope there’s an endless supply of black and white cookies waiting for you on the other side!