Matt Spillane

mspillane@lohud.com

A former New Rochelle schools leader killed himself and his wife in their North Carolina home last week, according to police.

James and Josie Gaddy were found dead in their Pinehurst home Friday night. Investigators determined that James Gaddy, a former superintendent and principal in New Rochelle, shot his wife before turning the gun on himself, Pinehurst police said in a statement.

A relative found the couple around 10:30 p.m. The home is in a gated community at Pinewild Country Club, several miles from where James Gaddy grew up, according to The Pilot, a newspaper based in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

First responders and family members tried to save Gaddy, 81, by performing CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. His wife, 80, had no signs of life when relatives found her.

Josie Gaddy had been shot four times in the back of the head. Police believe her husband shot her about 48 to 72 hours before shooting himself once in the chest on Friday night.

The couple is survived by a daughter, April Gaddy-Chappel, according to The Pilot.

The Gaddys moved to North Carolina after he stepped down from the New Rochelle superintendent's post in 1991. He served as principal of New Rochelle High School from 1969 to 1985, when he became the district's superintendent. He retired after 34 years in education, including 23 years in New Rochelle. The high school's library is named in his honor.

Gaddy was also a longtime member of the board of trustees of Monroe College and worked with the Great Potential program at Purchase College. In September 2014 Monroe named a new student dormitory Gaddy Hall; he was on hand for the ribbon cutting.

"We are deeply saddened by the news and extend our most heartfelt sympathies to the Gaddy family," Monroe College President Stephen Jerome said in a statement. "Dr. Gaddy was a long-time, valued friend to Monroe College, and he will always be remembered here for the distinguished educator he was and his unwavering commitment to students."

Twitter: @MattSpillane