Hadley, MA – James Claypoole Balderston, Jr. of Hadley, MA passed away on April 25, 2026, at the age of 70.
Jim was born November 7, 1955 in Bennington, VT to James Claypoole Balderston Sr. and Doris Lang Balderston. Jim completed preparatory school at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA in 1975, and graduated from Colorado College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in History.
After graduation, Jim spent a large portion of his early adult years working for the San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper as a reporter, winning multiple awards for his work exposing asbestos in San Francisco city schools, and other investigative reporting. After the newspaper, Jim worked as an Industry Analyst for Zona Research in Redwood City, CA, and eventually as a Private Investigator after relocating to Massachusetts.
A lover of reading, writing, and eventually art and photography, Jim was always in passionate pursuit of ways to further educate himself. Specifically, Jim fell in love with photography, spending time at his son’s hockey and baseball games taking pictures en masse. He also enjoyed capturing landscapes, sunsets, and lightning, going so far as to set up sensors to capture a lightning bolt mid-strike.
Jim also enjoyed the outdoors, travelling, and creating new memories. He got his love for outdoorsing from his family, with whom he spent many summers at the family estate, Sky Ranch, outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In his later years, Jim had two small RVs that he rode across the country, from coast to coast, taking a new route each time.
He is survived by his son, Jacob Balderston, and his partner Jenna Midura, of Boston, MA; his sister, Nancy Kent of Piedmont, CA, and his two nieces, Jamie Kent of San Francisco, CA and Galen Coatsworth of Seattle, WA; and his brother-in-law, Steven Rogers of Woodside, CA, and his two nephews, Charles Rogers of Carlsbad, CA and John Rogers of Portland, OR.
Calling hours will take place on Saturday, May 30 from 9:30-11:00 AM with an In-House service starting at 11am at the Czelusniak Funeral Home in Northampton, MA.
Please go to Czelusniakfuneralhome.com for online condolences and tribute book.
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