James F. Sterio ’70 died on June 23, 2026, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
(The following was provided by Legacy.com on June 23, 2026:)
James Frederick Sterio ’70
James Frederick Sterio of Plymouth, Massachusetts, formerly of Boxford, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on June 23, 2026, from complications of Parkinson’s/Multiple System Atrophy. Born to Mary (Brown) and Thomas Kristo Sterio on March 26, 1949, in Lynn, Massachusetts, Jim lived a wonderful life defined by faith, generosity, and integrity.
Jim graduated from Lynn English High School in 1966, where he was president of the National Honor Society and participated in many musical productions and reviews. His academic and theatrical achievements earned him admission to Bowdoin College. When his father died suddenly of a heart attack in 1968, Jim could no longer afford to continue his education at Bowdoin. After informing the dean that he would need to leave school, Jim learned that the president of the College had arranged for a scholarship that allowed him to earn his degree, making him the first in his family to graduate from college. This act of generosity changed the course of his life. Years later, in gratitude, he and his wife Eileen established the Thomas K. Sterio Scholarship Fund to help future Bowdoin students overcome financial barriers and pursue their education.
While among the Bowdoin Pines, his crisp tenor voice contributed to the harmonies of the Meddiebempsters, and he formed cherished lifelong friendships with his Alpha Kappa Sigma brothers.
After graduating from Boston College Law School in 1973, Jim joined Regnante & Regnante, later becoming a partner in Regnante, Sterio & Osborne. Through his legal acumen and unwavering dedication to his clients, he helped transform the small North Shore firm into one of the most respected practices in Massachusetts. Jim established himself as an expert in real estate and commercial banking law, authoring several commercial lending legal documents that were adopted broadly throughout the banking industry in accordance with state regulatory standards. He also served as a Land Court title examiner, where his expertise in real estate title matters earned him the respect of colleagues throughout the legal community. Though widely regarded as one of the preeminent attorneys on the North Shore and in the Boston area, Jim remained remarkably humble. Fellow attorneys, clients, and those privileged to work under his leadership admired him as much for his warmth and integrity as for his extraordinary legal talent.
While Jim was building the firm, he was also building a life with his wife and partner, Eileen, and raising their family. The same integrity and steadfast devotion that guided his work also shaped the way he loved and raised his children. He relished every stage of fatherhood, from coaching Little League to leading in-depth study sessions for an entire class cramming for a final exam. Jim was an exceptional father whose greatest lessons came from the example he set every day, living a life of compassion and generosity.
His happiest moments were the quietest, reclining in the Adirondack chair watching the sun set over the backyard and Four Mile Pond, listening to the peepers on a humid summer night, or washing the car on Saturday afternoon while catching the Sox game on his old transistor radio. Come Sunday, you could find him in the choir loft of Second Congregational Church UCC in Boxford. For more than thirty-five years, Jim supported the church in whatever way he could, always heeding the call to serve, holding various leadership positions and mentoring youth. His faith inspired his commitment to serving others and carried him through life’s greatest challenges and sorrows.
Jim had a strong sense of civic responsibility and used his talents for the betterment of the common good. In the towns of Boxford and Topsfield, he served with distinction on the Historic District Commission, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals. For many years he served on the board of directors for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. After moving to The Pinehills, he quickly became a relied upon member of the board of directors of The Greens.
He could cook a steak as precisely as he could draft a legal document, often coaxing charcoals to life even on the most frigid New England night. The consummate host, he delighted in a house full of family while he was hard at work in the kitchen perfecting the holiday roast.
JFS was deeply revered and will be dearly missed by all who relied on him both personally and professionally for trustworthy guidance and wise counsel.
Jim was preceded in death by his daughter, Christine Vogel Sterio. He is survived by his loving wife of fifty-two years, Eileen, whose strength and devotion allowed him to remain at home throughout his illness; his son, Dr. Thomas W. Sterio (Dr. Caroline L. Sterio) of Marblehead, Massachusetts; his daughter, Rev. Dr. Leanne S. Walt (William E. Walt, Esq.) of Norwell, Massachusetts; his treasured grandchildren, Thomas Sterio Jr., James Walt, William Walt Jr., Katherine Sterio, and Colston Sterio; and his beloved siblings, Virginia Haley (Edward Haley) and Frederick Sterio, and Eileen’s sisters, Barbara Cleveland (Susan Parness), Carol Cleveland-Bell (Thomas H. Bell III) and Gail Johns, as well as his nephew, Conrado Johns Jr., and his niece, Jennifer Johns; his aunt Virginia Guidara, and cousins, Robert Guidara and Gail Arcadipane, all of Florida.