WEST CORNWALL — James D. Gold IV, age 37, of West Cornwall and Brooklyn, New York, passed away peacefully on Sept. 21, 2026 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City following a three-year battle with melanoma.
James was born Sept. 11, 1989 in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton where he spent his childhood. A child with unique and diverse interests, he twice represented his elementary school in the Massachusetts State Geography Bee, performed in numerous high school drama productions and competed on the ski team. From an early age, James had a passion for imaging and drawing buildings often sketching many versions until just perfect. He attended Middlebury College in Vermont graduating with a degree in architectural design. As a junior, he studied at the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris, became fluent in French and worked on the restoration of an historic chateau.
He started his career in New York City at Masterpiece International learning the nuances of transporting fine artworks around the world. Then as an early employee of Citi Bike NYC, he designed the placement of bicycle docking stations and managed operations as it expanded its footprint across the metro area. Relocating to Connecticut, James shifted his focus to pursue his true passion for architecture and design. Honing his drafting and design skills, he worked on residential design, construction and renovation projects in the Litchfield Hills and New York. For the last two years, James was a Project Manager at New Wave Design and Contracting overseeing high end brownstone restorations in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
With a keen curiosity and interest in the world, James took every opportunity to travel to new places. He spent time in India and Nepal before college, then explored much of Europe while studying in France and vacationed in Thailand. Before his thirtieth birthday, he completed a six-month solo trip to Central America and South America. He was always planning his next journey.
James built a community of lifelong friends with whom he shared his love of life. He had a gift for weaving friend groups together and orchestrating fun, memorable experiences. He will be remembered for his kind spirit, captivating smile and infectious laugh.
He is survived by his parents Douglas Gold and Janice Garity of Cornwall, his brother Tyler Gold of Denver, Colorado, and many dear cousins, uncles and aunts.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at the North Cornwall Meeting House on Town Street on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. followed by a reception at Cream Hill Lake. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Dept., PO Box 180, West Cornwall, CT 06796 www.cornwallfire.org.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
