James Nemeth 1947-2026

Jim Nemeth passed away on Nov. 2, 2026. He was a truly unique man, comfortable in the world of sciences and arts and a bit of metaphysical as well. Many will remember him walking his dog Woody all over Greenport and happily telling anyone who asked that Woody was a mixed breed and he was as well.

Jim was born Jan. 8, 1947 in Manhattan to filmmaker parents Theodore Nemeth and Mary Ellen Bute. He attended Choate and Riverdale Country Day and then went on to the London School for Film Technique to continue his passion of creating documentaries. After graduating, he returned to New York and attended NYU. His first marriage to Johanna Neuberger brought him his twins Ted and Kristine. They moved to Hampton Bays and he changed careers to become a chemistry teacher, first in East Hampton and them Smithtown East. After a time, the Shoreham Nuclear Plant was under construction and he decided to put his chemistry knowledge to practical use and became a nuclear engineer for Lilco. When the Shoreham plant was shut down, he moved to Brookhaven National Laboratory as a trainer in radiation protection. He stayed there until his retirement in 2015.

Jim’s second marriage to Claudia Sawicki brought his son Andy. Jim’s greatest joy in life was being a dad. He was always up for an adventure and all of his kids love telling stories about Jim taking them camping or bringing them to the city in his beloved Volkswagen camping bus. Wherever their interests went, Jim was always encouraging.

Jim moved to Greenport after his last marriage to Liz Glasgow. There they raised all their dogs and cats. Whether it was 10-year-old Andy with five of his friends on air mattresses covering the living room floor playing video games or buying and extra couch so Peter the Great Dane would be comfortable, it was a happy and sometimes chaotic household. Loads of fun.

Jim was a bit of a daredevil. He loved sky diving, mountain climbing and his precious motorcycles. He said they could make him feel like he was flying.

In addition to his aforementioned adored children and his beloved wife, Jim also leaves his daughter in law Melissa Nemeth. A very special thank you to Claudia for helping take such wonderful care of Jim in his final weeks in his battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Donations can be made to the North Fork Animal Welfare League.

The family has chosen to remember Jim’s life privately at this time. DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold is serving the family.

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