James A. Rennie

James A. “Jim” Rennie, 92, a long-time Needham resident, passed away on April 27, 2022 after a brief illness.  Husband of the late Gail (Moore) Rennie, brother of George of Hemet, CA, predeceased by his siblings William and Catherine.  Jim is survived by his children John Rennie and Ellen Fleming, her husband Eric, and grandchildren Alexander and Lauren all of Norwood, MA.

Jim was born in Jamaica Plain, MA to the late William and Jeanie Rennie.  He attended Boston Public Schools and received a BS from Boston University and M.Ed from Boston State College.  During college he worked as a clerk with the US Postal Service which led to a 36 year career with the Post Office, many of which as a Postal Supervisor in Wellesley Hills.  Mr. Rennie served in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict.  After active duty he served in the Air National Guard for 32 years.  During this time he used his education degrees to develop and enhance training programs at Otis Air Force Base and received multiple commendations for his contributions.

After retirement, Mr. Rennie completed the year-long Frank Manning Certificate in Gerontology at UMass Boston in May 1993.  He then went on to volunteer at the Needham Council on Aging until turning 85 in 2014.  Mr. Rennie was a member of The Gideons International for 47 years and held several leadership positions in the Boston West Camp.  He enjoyed meeting people and giving out New Testaments and continued this until shortly before his death.

Funeral Service in the Heritage Baptist Church, 615 Washington St, Norwood, on Thursday, May 5th at 11am.  Visiting hours will be held on Thursday morning from 10 to 11am at the church prior to the service.  Private burial at the Needham Cemetery will be at a later time.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Needham Senior Center (Friends of CATH) or the Gideon’s International.

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