James Loren Foght

James Loren Foght Obituary

James Loren Foght lived a larger-than, spectacular life, filled to the brim with adventure and love. Born on April 6th, 1936, and passing away on February 10th, 2023, at the age of 86.

Born in Akron, Ohio, to Margeurite and Raymond Foght, James was destined for adventure from a young age. Bedridden with rheumatic fever as a child, James became an avid reader of books of all kinds, given to him by his grandfather. This love of reading and knowledge persisted throughout his life and was a gift he shared with his 3 children, Mark, Michael, and Kim, his 7 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

After graduating high school, James went on to pursue his Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and Mathematics at the University of Akron in 1958. The sky was the limit for him, and he decided to pursue his master’s and Doctoral degree. After getting offers from the University of Illinois and Yale, James decided to stay close to his parents and pursue his degree at the U of I. There, in a stroke of fate, he met his wife of 62 years, Martha, who was pursuing her Master’s in Chemistry. In Champaign-Urbana, James and Martha had their twins, Mark and Kim, while also raising their four-year-old son, Michael. After earning his Doctoral degree in Organic Chemistry with a minor in Microbiology, James got his first job at E.I. Dupont De Nemours & Co, as a lab chemist in N.C.. Moving his way up the business ladder, he brought his family with him on frequent moves throughout the United States. In N.Y. he worked for the Womenswear division, helping develop fabrics such as Lycra. In 1979, his family moved across the pond with him to London, England where he became the Managing Director for the UK.. After three lovely years in England, James and Martha moved to Germany, where he launched the Pharmaceutical division for Europe, South Africa and Asia.  In the interim, after falling in love with the continent of Africa, James also worked in African animal conservation with the African Wildlife Foundation

In 1985, James and his wife moved back to America, and James soon began work for Kidder Peabody in investment banking. His final career move was to IL where he and two colleagues founded Vector Securities, specializing in biotechnology start-ups. He helped launch Illinois Ventures, and Foght Enterprises, Co. Larger than life and in love with his work and the benefit it brought others, James did not enter retirement until his late 70s.

An avid lover of traveling, seeing the world, and immersing in new cultures, James spent his later years traveling from Pole to Pole (literally!), the Middle East, almost every country in Africa, Europe, and Asia. He loved recounting his adventures and bringing trinkets and gifts back for his grandchildren, in whom he also instilled an insatiable itch for traveling, reading, and experiencing life to its fullest and most beautiful extent. Family vacations would be spent sitting in a half-circle around him, avidly listening to his adventures and stories. An immaculate storyteller with only an occasional propensity for dramatization, his stories have taken on a fabled, legendary quality, frequently told and re-told with fervor by his family.

James lived a life of giving and expecting nothing in return. He used his business success to expand the minds and opportunities of his family and loved ones through charitable acts, education, and life experiences. He used every opportunity he had to selflessly give advice and support to those he loved, a quality his family hopes they inherit.

He had an amazing spirit, and was often the butt of family jokes, something he always took in stride since he could frequently be found laughing at himself. He had an unquenchable thirst for life, and an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Those who knew him know that he was quite literally the most intelligent person they had ever met, lovingly nicknamed “the human calculator.” Although most of his descendants did not inherit his skills for mathematics and chemistry, his intelligence in these areas is a quality we all admired endlessly.

He encouraged us to work hard and strive for success in school, life, and beyond. However, beyond academic and career success, his most valuable lessons were to love harder than you work. He accomplished this by always prioritizing time with his family through twice-yearly vacations in amazing destinations. Although some may describe him as a workaholic, he always had unlimited time to share with those he loved. He made those around him better, more curious, more compassionate people, and raised children and grandchildren who prioritize their family, love with reckless abandon, and approach the world with a pure, childlike curiosity, a quality he possessed his entire life.

To say James lived a life larger than life itself and left behind incredibly big shoes to fill would be a vast understatement. He and Martha built a family born from hard work, an endless amount of love, and an an incredible sense of humor leading to decades and decades of laughter. Our family is indebted to him for eternity, and he leaves behind a hole in our hearts that will never be filled. We love you, we adore you, and we miss you! We are forever devoted to you.

Forever devoted-
Your loving wife, Martha
Your children, Kim, Mike, and Mark
Your grandchildren, Mitchell, Corrin, Chase, Adam, Jessica, Bryan, and James
Your great-grandchildren, Kate, Ben, Michael, and Emily

Donations can be made to an organization Pop served on the board of—The Lupus Society of Illinois.