Special to The Bedford Citizen
Virginia and James F. Comley celebrated their 88th birthdays in 2018, year along with their 65th wedding anniversary on November 28.
The couple was recently feted at UMass Lowell where Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney announced a major scholarship in their name. At the university’s Celebration of Scholarship, Chancellor Jacquie Moloney presented the first Virginia and James Comley Scholarship to Abdi Shariff-Hassan ’21, a business administration major, and recognized the Comleys as honorary UMass Lowell alumni.
The Comleys have four children and eight grandchildren. Their favorite expressions include “every day is a good day – but some days are better than others” and “I try to learn something new every day.” They are long-standing members of the St Michael’s Parish in Bedford.
Virginia Keefe Comley graduated from Waltham High School in1948 and went to work at New England Telephone and Telegraph Company until 1956. James F. Comley has lived eighty-eight years in the town of Bedford, Massachusetts, where he was born. He graduated from Lexington High School in 1948 then went on to serve in the United States Navy on the USS Hawkins until 1955. After his service in the Navy, he began his career as an elevator mechanic and started his own elevator service and repair business in 1968 with his wife, Virginia Comley. The couple founded their own elevator service and repair business in 1968 and then bought and sold several other companies to form what is now known as Embree Elevator. Embree Elevator is currently the sixth largest elevator repair and maintenance business in New England. Virginia Comley retired from the company in 1998 after 30 serving as a secretary and bookkeeper.
James Comley has worked in the elevator installation, service, and repair industry for over 65 years. He has dedicated himself to public safety in the elevator industry for his entire career. Comley has served on the Massachusetts Board of Elevator Regulations in the state’s Department of Public Safety for over 20 years and was elected the Chairman in 2006. The Board of Elevator Regulations is an eight-member board appointed by the governor which regulates the construction, installation, alteration, and operation of all elevators and escalators. The board is also responsible for the licensing of all elevator constructors, maintenance men, repairmen, and operators. James continues as a worldwide consultant to the elevator and escalator industry on new technology, safety devices, and procedures. He is also a Board Member of the National Elevator Historical Society and the co-curator for the exhibit in the I.U.E.C. (International Union of Elevator Constructors) Local 4 Building meeting hall in Dorchester.
In 2011, James Comley was a recipient of The Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award. The Ellis Island Medals of Honor are awarded annually to a group of distinguished American citizens who exemplify a life dedicated to community service and family: people who preserve and celebrate the history, traditions, and values of his/her ancestry and who dedicate themselves to creating a better world. The honorees are said to exemplify outstanding qualities in both their personal and professional lives while continuing to preserve the richness of their particular heritage. Both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate have officially recognized the Ellis Island Medals of Honor. Each year’s recipients are read into the Congressional Record.
The Comleys live on Great Road in Bedford in a Federal Colonial style house that they restored and renovated in period palette and décor. The 7000 square foot house is in the Bedford historic district and showcases the couple’s antique, art, and vintage furniture collections.
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