Craig Douglas James, 76, of Seven Lakes, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2020. He was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather and will be deeply missed by his wife of 32 years, Linda James; four children: Marc (Kara) James, Jennifer (Wes) Little, Chris James, Ashley (Matt) Kaskowicz; three step-children: Greg (Melissa), Brian (Rhonda), Steven (Cassy); and grandchildren Alex Wilson; Amber (Nick) Sylvain; Sarah, Anna, and Sean James; Nicholas, Christian, and Dylan James; James and Nolan Kaskowicz; Ethan, Evan, and Collin Biggs; Juliet Biggs; Luke Meacham; and great-grandson Grayson Sylvain. Craig was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Marianna James, and his first wife, Cheryl Butler James.
Craig was born on August 15, 1943 in Tacoma, Washington. Later, his family moved to Toledo, OH and then Darien and Simsbury, CT. Always taller than anyone else around him, Craig enjoyed playing basketball, baseball, and football.
Craig attended the Carnegie Institute in Boston and was an alumni of the University of Hartford (B.S. in Chemistry) and Dartmouth College (Physician Assistant). After moving to North Carolina, Craig worked for Carolina Eye in the Surgery Center for almost 25 years, performing over 30,000 peribulbar block injections without harming a single patient.
Craig had a sharp wit and loved to play practical jokes such as gluing a quarter on his front porch so he could watch people try to pick it up and leaving fake poop on people’s beds. He always had a joke or funny saying ready for any situation. Craig was very patriotic, with multiple American flags displayed with pride around his home, and tattoos of the American flag and an eagle on his arms. Craig learned to sew so he and Linda could make Quilts of Valor to honor war veterans.
Craig and Linda traveled the country in an RV to experience America’s beauty firsthand. He drove a Maserati in the Chimney Rock Hill Climb, raced a stock car, and learned to fly. Craig wrote what we all hope we can say at the end of our lives, “I have had a good life. I played a lot of sports, drove a stock car, flew a plane, owned a Jaguar, a Morgan, and a motorcycle. I have four great children and grandchildren I love.”
Services and burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in Craig’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org or to Caring Hearts for Canines: https://caringheartsforcanines.com.
Please share remembrances and condolences online at www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
Services entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.
