James and Thelma McDermott

James Patrick McDermott, 81 and Thelma Mary McDermott, 79, died together with their dog Poplar early Wednesday morning in their Methuen home during a catastrophic fire. The couple?s eight cherished cats are still unaccounted for. James was born in Lawrence, MA to Claire Sifferlen and James McDermott. He was the eldest of three brothers. He graduated from Searles Memorial High School in Methuen and left home to serve his country in the Air Force during the Korean War. When he returned he accepted a football scholarship from the University of Miami. He was only a Hurricane for a year, however, due to injuries sustained in a car accident. James completed his bachelor?s degree at Saint Anselm's College and was awarded his Master?s in Education from Salem State University. James taught biology and science at Tenney High School from 1959 to 1968. From 1968 to 1985 he taught Mechanical Drawing at both Tenney and Methuen high schools. He became the Athletic Director at Methuen in 1985. He retired in 1994. James McDermott was an accomplished craftsman and built the house on Buttonwood Drive. He also built a home for his parents on Timber Lane and the family?s camp on Big Island Pond in Atkinson, NH. He carved beautiful duck decoys in the traditional style, however he did not approve of or participate in hunting. James was a member of the Bavarian Improvement Society in Lawrence throughout his entire adult life. An avid reader and historian, James had an extensive library in his home. He was an accomplished gardener and planted a large variety of vegetables and flowers every summer that he started from seed in his green house. He enjoyed photography, drawing and painting, and collecting HO scale models. He had amassed an enormous collection of Lionel trains. Thelma Mary McDermott was born on Staten Island to Scottish and English immigrants Maria Keir and James Webster. The couple had seven other children before Thelma, their youngest. James Webster was a golf course architect and the family of 10 traveled the country as he designed and built golf courses. They finally settled in Lawrence, MA where Thelma attended Lawrence High School. She went on to study nursing at the Lawrence General School of Nursing. She graduated in 1955 as a Registered Nurse and held the position of head nurse of the delivery room for many years. She worked in several physicians? offices after that, including the office of pediatrician Dr. O?Shea. Thelma moved on to specialize in elder care, and at the time of her death was a supervisor to visiting nurses in Gloucester and Beverly. Thelma McDermott loved the symphony and performing arts. Classical music was always playing in the couple?s home. She enjoyed the ballet and opera and loved to go to Lincoln Center in New York with her youngest daughter. She was a world traveler who enjoyed taking cruises with her friends and visiting her daughter Heather in North Carolina. Thelma had worked at Russem?s clothing store in Lawrence while in nursing training and had also modeled. She loved fashion and was very interested in contemporary and classic designers. She also loved to swim and was a longtime member of the YMCA, although she preferred to swim in the ocean whenever possible. James and Thelma McDermott were married in 1970. They had two daughters, Heather Mary McDermott (now Sinclair) and Kelly Anne McDermott. They were doting and adventurous parents and the family traveled every summer to Prince Edward Island in Canada. They were also animal advocates, rescuing hundreds of animals from sparrows to draft horses during their lives. James and Thelma McDermott are survived by Dr. Heather Sinclair of Asheville, North Carolina and her husband, Dr. Robert Sinclair, and Kelly McDermott of Manhattan?s Upper West Side and her partner, David Montville. James and Thelma are also survived by his two brothers and their wives, John and Sandra McDermott of Methuen and Robert and Maribeth McDermott of Sarasota, Florida, and by Thelma?s sister Norma Webster of Lowell, Massachusetts. They had numerous beloved nieces and nephews. Services will be held on Thursday at Pollard Funeral Home in Methuen. Mourners will be able to pay their respects from the hours of 2 ? 6 P.M. A service presided by Father Gianni, who also married James and Thelma, will be held at 6 P.M. A dinner for family and friends will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at Nevins Farms in Methuen.

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James and Thelma McDermott