James E. Naughton

A memorial service for James Edward Naughton (Nubby) 90, of Kirtland, will be held at Kirtland Elementary School, 9140 Chillicothe Rd., on November 7th at 2:00 PM. He passed on Oct. 7th, 2015. James started the 1st grade at Oliver Perry Elementary, later attending Nottingham in Cleveland, Euclid Central and Wickliffe Lincoln before coming to his beloved hometown of Kirtland in the 6th grade. In high school, he was active as a sports reporter and participated in the drama club. With a passion for sports, Nubby was quarterback for the football team, played first base for the baseball team, and left guard on the championship basketball team. He belonged to the school’s leader’s club. Upon graduating, he joined the U.S. Navy in WWII, serving aboard the amphibious gun boat 449 and the U.S. Noa destroyer in the South Pacific. The U.S. Noa sank in the battle of Palau where he drifted in the water for hours. He was a gunner for the first Navy Seals, earning 4 bronze stars and an acknowledgement from the U.S. Secretary of the Navy. After the war he remained active as a life-time member of the American Legion Post 609. After graduating from Kent State with a BS degree in business. He married his beloved wife LaVerne on January 6, 1950 at the Old South Church. A few years later, he adopted LaVernes’ daughter Jeanne, and the family grew with the addition of Casey 10 years later. James and LaVerne established Naughton Realty in 1956 and for over 50 years built homes and developed subdivisions throughout the Kirtland area James was a member of the Business Men’s Club and helped establish Lakeland Community College. James was on the Board of Elections for 16 years and constable for 4. In 1958, he became a charter member of the Kirtland Kiwanis Club serving as President and Co-Chair for the Strawberry Festival where he and LaVerne ran the Flea market for 28 years. In 1968 he was elected to the new Kirtland Village Council serving as President Pro-Temp. In 1970, he was elected the City of Kirtland’s first mayor establishing the City’s first Police Department. James served on the Kirtland Recreation Commission leading the development of the Kirtland Recreation Park. In 1997, he and LaVerne started the project of a Kirtland Area Veteran’s Memorial to honor the Veterans of Kirtland, Kirtland Hills and Waite Hill. James was also voted Kirtland Citizen of the year for his devotion to his community. During his last 6 months, he moved from Kirtland to Hudson where he enjoyed playing pool and eating out with friends from the Gables of Hudson. James is survived by Brothers Les (Georgia) Naughton and Lynn Naughton; daughters, Jeanne (Ted) Yurkon of Chardon and Casey (Mark) Rotruck of Hudson; grandchildren, Karen (Charles) Babcock, Tom (Valerie) DeMell, Christine (Eric) Mix, Tim DeMell and Wenlan Rotruck; great-grandchildren, Alexandria Babcock, Charles Babcock, Katherine DeMell and Timothy DeMell. He was preceded in death by his wife LaVerne in 2011, parents, Raymond and Violet Naughton and sister, Marilyn Tsipis. www.davis-babcock.com