Maid of the Mist Chairman & CEO James V. Glynn passes away

Maid of the Mist Press Release & Photo

James V. Glynn, 91, chairman and CEO of Niagara Falls-based Maid of the Mist Corp., passed away on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, at home following a lengthy illness.

Glynn joined Maid of the Mist in 1950 as a ticket seller, using his salary to finance his education at Niagara University. He fulfilled a lifelong dream on May 25, 1971, when he purchased the company. Under his leadership, Maid of the Mist expanded operations exponentially, becoming a world-class attraction for countless guests from countless nations. Today, it operates two environmentally friendly all-electric vessels.

When those vessels were placed into service on the Lower Niagara River on Oct. 5, 2020, Glynn told WBFO-FM, "My first job at the Maid was having a palm of pamphlets, and I handed them out at Prospect Point. When I gave you a pamphlet, I gave you a ticket and I asked for a dollar. The ticket was 90 cents for the boat and 10 cents for the elevator.”

Glynn is survived by his loving, devoted wife of 67 years, Mary (nee Gallagher) Glynn. They were married Oct. 25, 1958, at Sacred Heart Church in Niagara Falls. He is survived by his five children: Mary-Jo (late Dennis) Farrell, Paula (Gary) Fiore, Christopher (Michelle) Glynn, Tricia (Patrick) Hanley and Elisabeth (Joseph) Ieraci; 18 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. He was predeceased by a grandson, James Fiore, who died in 2006 at the age of 17 from leukemia; and a brother, Leo Glynn. He is also survived by a brother, Don (Diane) Glynn; sister-in-law, Margaret Gallagher, SSJ; brother-in-law, John (late Patricia) Kinner; as well as several nieces and nephews. Glynn resided in Lewiston and was a member of St. Peter Roman Catholic Parish.

Born May 11, 1934, in Niagara Falls, he was the son of the late Vincent E. Glynn and Margaret (McCarthy) Glynn.

Glynn was known for the kindness and generosity he showed to Maid of the Mist associates, many of whom spent decades with the company. He was also a shipbuilder, launching seven new vessels: Maid of the Mist III, IV, V, VI and VII. On July 31, 2020, Maid of the Mist christened two new all-electric, zero-emission vessels, the first of their kind in the U.S. One was named in his honor as the James V. Glynn. The ceremony included a “mast stepping,” the mariner’s tradition of placing a coin under the mast of a vessel for good luck. A sixpence Irish coin from 1950 was placed in the James V. Glynn in honor of the family’s Irish heritage and commemorating Glynn’s first year with the company.

Glynn’s longtime dedication to the community was exemplary. He served in a variety of leadership roles, most notably as a 22-year member of Niagara University’s board of trustees, where he became the boards’ first lay chairman and was chairman emeritus. He chaired the successful 1997 Catholic Charities of Buffalo Appeal, and in 2017, Catholic Charities named its location on Tronolone Place in Niagara Falls the Glynn Family Services Center.

He also served as a director for several leading organizations in the Buffalo-Niagara region, including M&T Bank, National Fuel Gas Co., Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Niagara Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Catholic Health, and AAA of Western & Central New York.

Community service organizations in Niagara County also benefited from James and Mary Glynn’s philanthropic generosity. They contributed mightily to Heart, Love & Soul, securing its permanent home on Ontario Avenue in Niagara Falls. Heart, Love & Soul provides hunger relief and social services. The Glynns also supported the Francis Center in Niagara Falls, where the Sisters of St. Francis provide educational and emotional support to neighborhood children; as well as OLV Charities in Lackawanna.

Under Glynn’s leadership, the Maid of the Mist has long supported the work of Opportunities Unlimited, United Way of Niagara Falls, Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, CARExpress Transportation Service – a van transportation service for medical appointments at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center – Summit Healthplex, and Hamilton B. Mizer Primary Care Center.

The Maid of the Mist also sponsors the Niagara University Vincentian Scholarship program; the Diocese of Buffalo’s Curé of Ars dinner, which supports priestly and permanent diaconate formation; and the James V. & Mary Glynn Endowment Fund for the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

When asked about his countless charitable contributions, Glynn, in typical fashion, responded, “If I don’t do it, who will?” 

A 1957 graduate of Niagara University, Glynn earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of commercial science from Niagara University and Doctor of Humane Letters from St. John’s University in New York City. His Niagara University citation read, “He is, in all ways, a good man, because he thinks with his heart.”

The book, “The Magic in the Mist,” written by Linus Ormsby, recounts a conversation between Mary and James Glynn when they were newlyweds in 1958. He was considering enrolling in law school when Mary asked him, “Would you be happy sitting behind a desk in a law office?” James responded, “I think I’ll stay at the Maid.” He never left. 

Funeral arrangements are pending.