OXFORD – James Richard Hemstrought, 61, of Leesburg, Fla., and formerly of Oxford, passed away peacefully Friday, April 10, 2009, at home.
He graduated from Oxford Academy and Central School.  He completed one year of drafting college in Minneapolis, MN.
He is survived by his fiancee, Mary Novak; parents, William and Joyce Hemstrought, of Norwich; two sisters, Donna Sullivan, of Ithaca and Eileen Vaccaro, of Norwich; three children, James Hemstrought, of Florida, Dennis and Amanda Hemstrought of BC, Canada. He was predeceased by a son, Kirk Hemstrought.
His greatest enjoyment in life was fishing. He was captain of the G&H Fishing Service on the Harris Chain and surrounding lakes in Florida.
He requested his ashes be scattered in the Dead River, Fla., where they will flow into the Harris Chain of Lakes, which was his favorite fishing area.