Obituary of James J. Lomuscio

WESTON, CT Jim Lomuscio, a longtime journalist, educator, and author, and editor for several Westport news outlets, died peacefully in his Weston, Connecticut, home on Jan. 8, 2026, his family announced. At 71, his career in journalism spanned 50 years and included frequent articles in The New York Times, The Connecticut Post, The Stamford Advocate, and dozens of other newspapers and magazines. A Brooklyn native, Lomuscio started out in the field at the English-Italian newspaper L’Agenda, in New York City. In 1981, he joined the staff of the FairPress in Fairfield, and moved to Connecticut, where he remained ever since. Lomuscio had served as editor-in-chief of the Westport News – where he guided the paper to several honors – then served as an editor at Westport Magazine, and finally of WestportNow.com. Lomuscio also was the first choice to serve as editor of the Westport Journal. “Jim had been a key contributor to Gordon Joseloff’s WestportNow and he took over the editorial reins throughout Gordon’s two terms as Westport’s First Selectman,” said Westport Journal Publisher Doug Weber. In 2021, when Weber founded the Journal to fill the hole in local journalism left by the folding of WestportNow, Lomuscio “was a natural choice for continuing Joseloff’s legacy,” he said. Lomuscio agreed to take on the role, but ultimately declined the position to care for his ill wife, his family said. “Jim had a big heart and he knew everybody in Westport,” Weber said. “He was one hell of a writer and a terrific news guy.” Lomuscio’s reporting, “whether he was interviewing ex-Presidents of the United States, notorious gang leaders, astronauts, or even a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan – was always strictly objective and fair,” said his son, James Michael Lomuscio. “His favorite subjects were the everymans, the common people of Fairfield County.” While Lomuscio garnered dozens of professional awards, he worked in journalism at a time of drastic contraction in the industry nationwide, and frequently saw the outlets he worked for sold, merged, or downsized. “(He) recognized that while yes, the press was a business, it was not merely so, frequently remarking that the press was the only business protected by the Constitution,” his son said. Lomuscio authored several textbooks on writing and journalism, but his family said his favorite – and most widely acclaimed – was his lone non-fiction volume, “Village of the Dammed: the Fight for Open Space and the Flooding of a Connecticut Town.” Published in 2005, it recounted the story of Valley Forge, Connecticut, and the unsuccessful battle to save it in the 1940s, when the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company flooded it and the Saugatuck River Valley to create a reservoir. Lomuscio died in the midst of a book tour for the revised edition of the book on its 20th anniversary. For decades, Lomuscio taught journalism, English, literature, business writing and a variety of other courses at Norwalk Community College and Western Connecticut State University. His son said Lomuscio was “especially proud of the progress he saw in many of his non-native English-speaking students as they integrated into life in America by learning how to write well.” His family remembered him as a loving husband, father, and grandfather, who always put his family first. “He cherished his relationships with his siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, and everyone on his family tree,” his son said. “He was a loyal friend, who was always available to meet for a cup of coffee and a laugh. He was an honorable professor, who students leaned on for emotional support. And he was a graciously generous and giving man to all who needed his help.” He was a devout Catholic who prayed daily, his family said. Lomuscio is survived by his wife of 40 beautiful years, Christine Lomuscio (Duda), of Weston, his son James (wife Emily) of Pittsburgh, daughter Meredith Odierna (husband Michael), 10 beloved grandchildren (James Francis, Harold, Johnna, Rocco, Paul, Mary Ann, and Genevieve, Graham, Callahan, and Margaret, respectively), and his sisters Mary (daughter Marissa and husband Nick) and Florence (husband Sheldon and son Joe). His parents Helen and Richard and his brother Richard predeceased him. A wake will be held on Monday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bouton Funeral Home in Georgetown, and his funeral Mass will be offered the next day, Tuesday at 10 a.m., across the street at Sacred Heart Church. Burial will follow at Willowbrook Cemetery.