James Franklin Brittain

James Franklin Brittain, of Silver Spring, Maryland, passed away on July 22, 2022 at the Washington Adventist Hospital after his final battle with lung cancer.

Jimmy was born in Washington D.C. to Evelyn (Kleindienst) and Thomas Brittain on September 10, 1941. He grew up in Mt. Rainier, Maryland and attended Northwestern High School. During his senior year, Jimmy was honored to play the trumpet in the New York City, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1959, as a Northwestern Wildcat. Later that year he met Janis Barton who he married in 1963. They had two children; James born in August 1964 and Terri born in April 1968. Jimmy and Janis divorced after 24 years of marriage.

Upon graduating from Northwestern High School, Jimmy began working at the Chamber of Commerce (1959 – 1961) and followed employment at the National Rifle Association (1961 – 1963). Jimmy was a printer by trade and worked at WSSC (Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission) in Hyattsville, Maryland from (1963 – 1994). After retiring from his career, Jimmy did what he loved best and worked as a security guard at Leisure World from (1997 – 2013). He met his life-long love, Yeda Benoit in 2001 while working at the gate. They resided together in Silver Spring, Maryland for many years.

Jimmy loved sports specifically the Washington Nationals, Redskins and Capitals. He was also an avid fan of Maryland Terps Basketball. He was very proud of his teams especially when Terps Basketball won the 2003 NCAA National Championship and most recently when the Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019. Jimmy loved hockey for years inspiring his hobby to collect pucks from all over the world. He had almost given up on the Capitals but was able to finally see them win the Stanley Cup in 2018. Jimmy also loved law enforcement which turned into a hobby of collecting 100’s of scaled model police cars and patches from all over the United States. Jimmy also loved animals which included his dogs, Siamese cats and tropical fish.

James Franklin Brittain is survived by his son James (Mary Louise) Brittain, Jr., his daughter Terri (Tom) Perrell, grandsons: Tommy Perrell, Curtis Perrell and JT Brittain as well as his granddaughters: Mariana Brittain and Jenna Perrell. He was preceded in death by his mother Evelyn Brittain (July 1997), his father Thomas Brittain (March 2022) and his life-long partner Yeda Benoit (April 2022).  Jimmy will forever be missed and the memories we made will be carried with us eternally.

Visitation will begin at 10am on Saturday, July 30, 2022 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church located at 15663 Norbeck Boulevard, Silver Spring, MD 20906; where the Funeral Service will begin at 11am. He will be laid to rest at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Washington DC with a graveside ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in memory of James F. Brittain, to HEROES, Inc. (heroes.org) which provides support to the spouses and children of law enforcement officers and firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty. HEROES, Inc. 12000 29th St. NW, Washington, DC 20007.