James Alan Northrop

 James Alan Northrop (Jim) passed away peacefully on August 7, 2024, surrounded by his sons in his home in Onchiota, NY, following a multi-year battle with lung and brain cancer.

Jim was born at Binghamton Hospital in 1947, to Alma Maddox Northrop and Arthur W. Northrop and taken home to Johnson City, New York, where his parents lived until their passing. He was educated in the Johnson City public school system and spent his senior year as a Rotary Exchange Scholar in Melbourne, Australia.

He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Art, to attend Brown University, where he earned his B.A. in Sociology in 1969. He married his college sweetheart, Margaret Dworkin (Peggy), two months after their graduation in August of 1969. Together, they had three wonderful sons: Robert, Matthew, and William Northrop. Peggy and Jim raised their sons in Stamford, CT.

After earning his MBA from Columbia University in 1972, Jim’s career took him from marketing at Quaker Oats to eventually becoming the President and COO at the Monet Jewelry unit of General Mills. He went on to hold CEO positions at multiple companies, including the Trifari/Marvella Jewelry unit of Hallmark Cards, the Popular Club Plan business of J. Crew, and Crystal Brands Jewelry, where he had the somewhat dubious distinction of being “crowned” the “King of Costume Jewelry” by Fortune Magazine in 1989.

In 1994, he and financial backers acquired the table-top direct selling company, Princess House, from Colgate-Palmolive. Jim was the CEO of Princess House for the ensuing 12 years and developed a passion not only for this company but the direct selling business model. He brought that energy to subsequent roles with the Canadian public company, Immunotec, and eventually his own Winfield Consulting, the firm he founded in “retirement.” With his colleagues at Winfield, they served more than 60 companies in the direct selling business ranging from start-ups to multibillion-dollar enterprises. The Winfield business survives Jim, and is still prospering.

Jim served on several corporate boards including Graphite Metallizing Corporation, Princess House, Creative Memories, Immunotec, Origami Owl, Xyngular, and Pure Haven. He also served as a Board Member for non-profit organizations including Columbia Business School, the GAIA Foundation, the Direct Selling Association, the Direct Selling Education Foundation, and as officer for his class at Brown.

Peggy and Jim divorced in the early 1990s but each were blessed with strong relationships with their three sons throughout their lives. Jim went on to live in many different cities across New England, but the Adirondacks always had his heart; his true home for the last thirty years was Onchiota, NY, where he loved nothing more than hosting family and friends on the lake. Jim will be remembered for his passionate leadership of people-centric businesses, his bold and intellectual sense of humor, his charisma, and as a very caring and loving father and grandfather.

Jim is survived by his three beloved sons and their families, Robert, Laura, Katharine (Katie) and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Northrop; Matthew, Christine and Charlie Northrop; and William, Joanna, Annabel, and Landon Northrop. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Maureen Northrop, and his niece and nephews, Kim Walser, Arthur Northrop III (Chip), and Kevin Northrop and their families.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, August 31, 2024, from 5pm – 7pm, followed by a memorial service on Sunday, September 1, at 10am, at the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake, NY. The service is to be followed by a celebration of life party at Jim’s home in Onchiota, NY and casual attire is welcome.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (www.adkloon.org), or The Adirondack Land Trust (adirondacklandtrust.org).