James Alvin Daggerhart Jr.

James Daggerhart (Jim), a “Prince of a Man” as a friend once called him has gone home to be with his Savior, Lord, and Friend, Jesus Christ. He departed unexpectedly on Saturday, April 6, 2024, after a long decline, surrounded by family, with grandchildren speaking deep love and appreciation to him. He was greeted in heaven by his parents James Alvin Daggerhart, Sr. and Clara Bridges Daggerhart Poston, and by his wife’s parents Earl Jones and Marie Wright Jones, all of Shelby, NC, and by many other family members and friends.

Jim was a man of godly strength while always expressing a kind and gentle spirit. In the words of others: “He was a great man, a gentle giant, a wonderful man of God, an extraordinary man, a man who reflected the glory of God, a special man on earth, a man exemplary in reflecting a Christ-like spirit, a man who set the bar high for Biblical manhood, a true example of a devoted and loving husband, a humble man with a servant heart along with an amazing statistical mind.”

Jim truly had an amazing statistical and engineering mind. His desire from childhood was to become an aeronautical engineer. He built and flew model planes from early years, boring the “love of his life” from age 15 with Sunday afternoon trips to the flying fields which he continued until recent years. However, his mother said she did not know he had a brain until they sent him off to NC State University where he excelled in pursuing his dream.

In 1963, his senior year, he brought his bride, Diane Jones Daggerhart to the campus also where they hoped he would soon realize that dream. However, upon graduation he chose to remain and get his Master’s Degree, opening the door for a job offer with NASA to work on the Apollo Project. Then disappointment turned into great blessing as his Master’s research project was failing, and his NCSU mentor advised him to stay and get his PhD. With than decision, he and Diane were able to remain in NC and rear their three sons in wonderful Cary as he then accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at NCSU in 1969.

Jim remained at NCSU until 1978 when he felt the drawing to leave the academic world and became employed at Stackpole Components of Raleigh as a Product Development Engineer. Through his employment with Stackpole the Lord fulfilled a prophecy given to Diane in 1981 that she/they would be going overseas and that it would be in God’s purposes. Jim took his family for two amazing years of adventurous life in Taiwan as Stackpole’s Vice President of Technical Services and General Manager of their manufacturing facility where he was saluted each day as he entered the factory property. Upon their return to the states, Stackpole was sold with Jim becoming Director of Engineering of Ark-Les for a season.

The years 1986-1990 were special years of faith as Jim was unemployed twice and tested in keeping God first in his finances. From 1990-1993 he drove to Burlington daily in the employment of Lawrence Industries as a Manufacturing Engineer. All these were tender years of trust as Diane was a stay-home mom. She never heard him murmur or complain about his circumstances. Nor did she ever hear him belittle or speak unkindly to her.

Great joy came in 1994 when a door was opened for him to return to NCSU!

This time he was employed in the Department of Industrial Extension Services as Manager of Engineering Specialties and became the Director of NC Manufacturing Extension Partnership. He had 15 years of great joy in his new opportunities of working with wonderful teams and with the industries of North Carolina. He was awarded the College of Engineering Outstanding Extension Service Award in 1999, retiring in 2008.

Jim’s great gifts from his Heavenly Father were his heart of mercy and serving. He was a faithful servant to God by serving his family and his church in many capacities. He lovingly and generously supported his wife in all her Christian ministries, and he was a faithful, gentle cheerleader on the sidelines of his grandchildren’s activities whenever possible.

In 2011 Jim suddenly desired to sell the house he and Diane had built in Cary 42 years earlier. He was exhausted from having kept both the house and yard up-to-date with his hard work. The Lord fulfilled his only desire “to not have to take his lawnmower” by having secretly built for him the house he desired at Carolina Preserve while they were praying and downsizing – no lawnmowers needed!

Left to honor his life and legacy are his wife Diane, sons Brant Wesley of Atlanta, James Scott of Apex (Beverly), and Jonathan Trent of Weaverville (Julie Ann), grand-children Grayson and Hali of Ellensburg, WA; Brandon and Savannah (Mitchell) of Apex, Matthew, Rebecca, Ellery, and Henry of Weaverville, stepbrother David Poston of Shelby, brother-in-law Richard Jones of Atlanta (Steve), and sister-in-law Sarah Jones of Greenville, NC, and her family.

The family gives special, grateful appreciation to all who supported him and his family on his journey homeward, and especially for Home Instead Senior Care. Without these wonderful people, Jim would not have been able to remain at home as he declined, which was his great desire.

Jim supported the Church of God Children’s Home for many years and would be honored to have memorial contributions made to them in his name in lieu of flowers: 3485 Orphanage Circle, Concord, NC 28027.