James Joseph Carlstedt, known as “Jim,” by his friends and family, 85, of Tampa, FL, passed away on
Monday, June 26, 2023. Jim was born and spent his childhood years in Brooklyn, New York. His family
later moved to New Jersey where he attended Fort Lee High School, excelling in basketball, baseball,
and track and field. Jim set a record as the fastest student in the school during his freshman year for the
100-yard dash and was a starter on Fort Lee High School’s 1956 State Championship basketball team.
Because of his kind heart and fun-loving spirit, in his senior year, he was voted Most Popular.
Jim met the love of his life, Marilyn Russo, on February 14, 1958, and spent the remainder of his life with
her. They were married on November 24, 1962, and settled in Montvale, NJ. While in Montvale, Jim
worked at General Motors while attending Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he earned his BA in
Business, graduating with high honors. Recognizing early that Tampa was positioned to become a great
international city, Jim led the pair to relocate there in 1969, eventually settling in Carrollwood. Jim began
his career in Tampa at EF Hutton. Jim then became a serial entrepreneur, starting successful businesses
in many industries, including in oil and gas securities' investments, real estate, home healthcare,
videography and many others. Jim was one of the first real estate developers with the vision to begin
building industrial parks near Tampa International Airport back in the early 1980s.
He enjoyed cooking, tennis, fishing, traveling, fine dining, and collecting wine and art. Jim was a brilliant
man and was always the life of the party. He will be fondly remembered as a passionate, outgoing man who
loved his country. He was known for his kind, giving spirit and incredible sense of humor. Jim was a
devoted father and grandfather who loved spending time and laughing with his family. He is survived by
his loving wife, Marilyn; daughter, Sharon Carlstedt Britton; sons, James (Jenny) Carlstedt, Edward
(Jennifer) Carlstedt; and 6 grandchildren, Andrew (James), Wilson, Nicholas, and Bryan (Edward),
Connor and Skylar (Sharon). Services are private.
