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GREENSBORO - James Roach, the son of a former mayor who followed in his father's footsteps to become a distinguished community leader and entrepreneur, died Tuesday after battling lymphoma. He was 50.

A Greensboro native, Roach served as president and chief executive officer of Roach Realty, founded in downtown Greensboro 60 years ago by his father, former Mayor George H. Roach.

Jim Roach died at Duke University Hospital in Durham after a battle with lymphoma.

"He was truly one of Greensboro's brightest stars," said Jim Melvin, former Greensboro mayor and longtime friend of the Roach family. "He was a member of the next generation of leadership for Greensboro. He fought the good fight for a long time."

Roach graduated from Grimsley High School and later earned a business degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

He returned to Greensboro, where he became active in not only the real estate business, but also in civic affairs.

Roach served as a executive committee member of the Guilford County Schools Redistricting Steering Committee in the mid-1990s.

He was a member of West Market Street United Methodist Church and served as a board member for both the Bryan Family YMCA and the Starmount Forest Country Club.

Roach played a large role in the revitalization of downtown.

He joined the Greensboro Board of Realtors in 1984 and served as its president in 1990-91.

He was named the organization's Realtor of the Year for 1997.

"He was dedicated to the real estate industry and a better Greensboro," said Kevin Green, immediate past president of the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association. "He'll be sorely missed by our industry and by the city as a whole."

Roach is survived by his wife, Mary Ben Craven Roach; daughters Sarah Gray Roach of Chapel Hill and Julia Hargrove Roach of Greensboro; and son Carl Willis Roach of Greensboro; along with extended family members.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at West Market Street United Methodist Church, 302 W. Market St.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 5950 Fairview Road, Suite 250, Charlotte, NC 28210.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals @news-record.com