James "Jim" M. Reilly, 74, of Merrimack, NH, died peacefully on June 4 ^th , 2022.

Born in Boston, MA on July 4, 1947, he was the son of William F. and Cecil (Cleveland) Reilly. He was the husband of Linda M. (Shaw) Reilly and a retired mail handler for the USPS.

He grew up making mischief on the streets of Roxbury and Dorchester. Jim graduated from Boston Technical High School in 1965. He then served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War aboard the USS John Willis.

He answered to many names, including Big Jim, Grandpa, Jimmy, Mad Dog, and several others unfit for print. Jim never met a sandwich he didn't like. He knew to leave the gun and take the cannoli.

Jim was an optimistic fisherman despite regularly coming up empty. Surely this was a quality borne of being a lifelong Red Sox fan. We forgive him for his desire that Fenway Park be bulldozed.

A natural storyteller, Jim regaled us with an impressive range of random information and a dizzying array of stories, some of which might actually have been true.

Jim was predeceased by his son, Seamus, with whom he cheered and jeered many a Patriots game. He was predeceased by brothers William and Patrick, and sister Vernelle.

In addition to "Linda Baby," he is survived by daughter Jennifer Reilly, her husband Brian Wheeler, and grandsons, David and Patrick, with whom he watched many baseball games. He is also survived by cherished brother John "Eddie" Reilly and his wife, Cheryl, along with nieces MaryAnn Lemon, Janelle and Shawna Vallone, and nephews Thomas and Christopher DeFilippo.

Visitation hours will be held at the Rivet Funeral Home, 425 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, NH on Friday, June 10 ^th from 4 – 7 PM. A funeral service will be held in the chapel of the funeral home at 7 PM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial contribution in Jim's memory to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 1030 (t2t.org/donate)