Obituary of James Gerald Masker

James “Jamie” Masker, aged 52, of Elmira, NY passed away unexpectedly yet peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, May 12^th, 2024.  He was predeceased by his father and hero, Terrence Masker, as well as his uncle Tom Bennett.

Jamie is survived by his loving mother, Carol Masker, his built-in best friends and brothers, Mickey Masker with Amy and their children, Emma and Ellie, Craig Masker with Jennifer Thomas and their children, Meredith and Jack, as well as his brothers-from-other-mothers, Walter “Wally” Bailey, Dennis Epperson and Matthew Nicholas; along with many special aunts, uncles and cousins that were very dear to him.

Also surviving Jamie are his sons, Brandon Masker with Katerina Merrick and their son Griffey, and Joseph Masker, as well as Jamie’s companion of 24 years, Michelle Nicholas and her parents Robert and Nanette Nicholas.  Brandon and Joey were Jamie’s whole world and he especially loved watching and coaching them on the baseball field.  They made him proud everyday and grew into men who he enjoyed sharing his unique sense of humor and stories with.  Griffey became the apple of Jamie’s eye the minute he was born and he held a special place in his grandpa’s heart.

Jamie had a tremendous impact on those around him as well as the community.  He was a veteran of the Elmira Police Department, injured while serving and protecting the people of the city.  When he could no longer impact the community as a police officer, he turned to coaching as another way to give back.  The numerous former players who have reached out to his family during this difficult time has been extremely comforting to them and has demonstrated the reach of his contributions.  Lastly, Jamie was just an all-around great human being.  He would give you the shirt off his back and though his back was quite literally broken, he would always try to help if he witnessed a situation where he thought someone could get hurt, regardless of the toll it would take on him.

Jamie has chosen to not have traditional services at this time and instead the family will hold a celebration of life at a later date and time.  As he was always someone who loved to tell a good story (or five), he instead would prefer everyone to come together to share about the good times they had with him and to have a laugh, as it’s the best medicine and sorely needed since he has left us far too soon.

In lieu of sending flowers or meals to the family, please consider donating to the local law enforcement organization of your choice, or to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), jdrf.org.