Birth date: Oct 14, 1948 Death date: Feb 8, 2020
Obituary James Joseph Darby Jr., 71, of Middletown, passed away on February 8, 2020 at University of Maryland Medical Center. He was born in Wilmington, NC on October 14, 1948 to the late Louise (Greer) Darby and James Joseph Darb Read Obituary
I worked with Jim for 18 years at Marsh McBirney, Inc. Even though I was in the Accounting department if I needed any help about product or services I knew I could go ask Jim. He always had a smile for everyone as well as asked how you were doing. I just heard about his passing and my sincere condolence to his family.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story Larry, it’s much appreciated. It really provided a great summary of Jim’s significant contribution to MMI and also a testament to his hard working nature and incredible technical abilities. I’m sure his family is proud of Jim and all he accomplished in his career, and your post really shows how valued and appreciated he was by you and your family. We will all miss Jim, indeed, as he had a brilliant mind and a kind and compassionate heart. Cheers, Winston
We will definitely miss Jim, and all the great times we had over the many years. Both JIm and his wife Sue were great friends, always kind, caring and compassionate. We send our sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to Jim’s family. Much love to you all and we are so sorry to hear about your loss. Sincerely, Winston, Helen & Lauren Tang
Marsh-McBirney was formed in July of 1971.It’s first employees were me, Dick McBirney and my wife, Mary (secretary)We started off in a basement of a carpet retailer. We shared the basement with pinball machines and leftover (and unusable) circuit boards from another startup. Jim Darby, fresh out of the USAF answered our ad for an electronic tech. Jim was young and unmarried—and seemed willing to take a chance on us. A young company has very little room for error—particularly when hiring people for important positions. Jim was smart, enthusiastic and willing to absorb all that we gave him. So-we took a chance on Jim—as he took a chance on us. What a great choice each of us made.In the early years, MMI’s products were directed toward measuring waves and currents in the ocean. Our current meters became popular with the oil companies who were trying to measure ocean currents around offshore platforms. MMI often participated in the installation and troubleshooting of its meters whether in the Gulf of Mexico or in the North Sea. A visit to one of these platforms consisted of flying out to the platform in an oil company helicopter and performing the installation in both calm and harsh weather. Jim was the first MMI employee to go to the North Sea where weather conditions were often brutal. He told of work visits where he was lowered from the helicopter to a work boat which was lurching up and down in heavy seas. The hoist -with Jim-would try to synchronize their movements with the boat to make for a soft landing for Jim. Sometimes it did not work.Jim and I would alternate in an exciting ride on a US submarine instrumented with our current meters—and 16 Polaris missiles. We would leave Port Canaveral and travel several hundred miles out to sea where several (unarmed) missiles were fired at a target 2500 miles.Before long, our product focus was on water and wastewater flow. By the late ‘70’s, the staff at MMI had grown, Jim oversaw engineering and product development. Jim secured several patents as he also oversaw the trouble shooting required of any successful instrument company. Jim was the best trouble shooter I have ever seen.Jim was smart, trustworthy, dedicated and focused on company success. Jim, also, became a dedicated husband and father during his many years at MMI. After many years as a bachelor, Jim married the love of his life, Sue, and together they raised three wonderful children.After MMI was acquired by Hach, Jim became an offsite resource where he analyzed data from remote sites where FLO-DAR was installed.
