David Ray James

David Ray James, a lifelong resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, peacefully started his next journey on June 6, 2026.

David was a true creative genius, a man of wonder. He saw the world through a lens of creativity and applied it at every moment he could. His mind was driven by the cogs and wheels of science and for him, that was the mark he wanted to leave on this universe. From an early age, nothing that contained any sort of mechanism was safe. David would have it in pieces, studying every part, and back together before the day was over (sometimes slightly modified). It was not just about learning how things worked, as that was his innate gift, but how he could improve it. As an adult, his home was filled with tons of makeshift inventions that had the aim of making life a little easier. Custom food holders for the family van, toothpaste dispensers, mesh covered bug cages, toy cars modified and weighted to get top speed. He did not just enjoy how things worked, but how to make them better. He was enthusiastic about “intuitive improvisation” and taught it to his sons. It is no surprise he excelled at his profession as a Maintenance Tech and then a Mechanical Engineer at Aplix for 30+ years.

David discovered 3D printing and with that, a new wave of creativity was born. With over ten different 3D printers, his workshop was buzzing with machines making parts for around the house, toys to give to young family members, and mini scale models of ideas he had. He also loved to 3D print photos of his kids and wife and spontaneously give them as gifts. When someone asked him for a specific thing to print, like a themed model for a holiday, he did not just deliver, but he obsessed over making it perfect. He never ceased to push the boundaries of what he could create.

David lived a very full life and had a variety of interests. He was an avid sports fan, especially when it came to the Chicago Bears. He even named his dog Walter Payton! David loved football and played in a fantasy league with his friends. He was a running back at Harding High School and played semi-pro football for the Carolina Chargers from 1979-1981 under George Sauer. He then took a wild road trip with his buddies to try out for the Dallas Cowboys.

More than anything else, David was a man who loved his family to pieces. They were his one true world. He loved his wife, Beth, for 43 years and they had a beautiful, full life together. He gave everything he could to his children, he was a strong older brother, he was a kind and wonderful uncle, a dependable friend, and he did everything in his power to make the lives around him better.

To his sons, Alexander and Zachary, he was not just a father, he was their superhero. He leaned into it, creating songs about how he could lift their whole house with them in it. His children were his life, and he made sure he was not just their superhero, but they could be superheroes themselves. He created his own comic books with the main characters modeled after his children and other family members. His universe was our

universe. We were embodied in these many different worlds, and we were always the good guys that won.

In his office he hung a poster. “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before."

We will never be as bright without him here with us.

A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of David to The Planetary Society at https://www.planetary.org/give/living-tributes. We will continue to protect the planet like David dreamed of doing.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of David Ray James, please visit our floral store.