Dr. Ray L. James passed away Jan. 14 at the age of 94
Dr. Ray L. James, 94, a World War II veteran and dentist for 53 years, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 14, surrounded by family.
Ray was the loving husband of Margaret “Maggi” Adam for 65 years, proud and loving father of Ray L. James, Jr. of Williamsburg, Va., and Kimberly James Sibley of Valparaiso, Ind., and cherished Pop-Pop of grandchildren Kelly A. Canavan, Ryan J. Canavan, Mackenzie S. Canavan, and Delaney R. Canavan. He is preceded in death by his parents Roy and Helen James and his brother Roy B. James.
He was born in Bath, Pa., on Sept. 3, 1922. After graduating from high school at age 17 he traveled to Glendale, CA on a Greyhound bus and attended Aero Industries Technical Institute. He was subsequently hired by North American Aviation working on the final assembly of the B-25 medium bomber. (The type Jimmy Doolittle and his squadron flew off the carrier “Hornet” for the initial bombing raids on the Japanese mainland at Tokyo.)
While working at North American he attended the University of Southern California. He then enlisted in the Naval Air Corps in 1942 and received his wings and Ensign Commission at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in 1944. He was assigned to Jacksonville, Fla., where he trained to fly the notoriously famous F4U Corsair fighter plane. He was a member of the air group known as the “Grim Reapers.” Several days later he boarded the “USS Intrepid CV11” and sailed to the Pacific war zone where he most proudly served his country.
He was involved in Iwo Jima, raids on Japan, and the entire Okinawa campaign. He was instrumental in the sinking of the battleship “Yamato” (the world’s largest battleship and the pride of the Japanese Navy) by dropping a 1,000-pound bomb from his fighter plane when normally they only carried 500-pound bombs.
He received the Meritorious Service Medal five times. The fifth with the oak leaf cluster for the infamous “Yamato” which signified the eminent demise of the Japanese Imperial Fleet. This ship was the only hope of destroying the Allied fleet off the coast of Okinawa.
After returning to the States he instructed in advanced flight training in Corpus Christi, Texas. When discharged in 1946 he remained active at Willow Grove Air Station until 1952. He then attended Ursinus College and later graduated from Penn Dental School in 1951. In his senior year at Penn he met the love of his life on the beach at 14th Street in Ocean City. She broke a date with a Shriver’s salt water taffy worker and the rest is history 66 years later.
Ray practiced in Pitman for 53 years before retiring in 2004. He was one of several dentists in developing and planning the intern program at Virtua Hospital with its origin as West Jersey Hospital in Camden. He was a member of the State Council of peer review for over 25 years and chairman of the Southern Dental Society peer review for eight years. He was a member of numerous societies including XI PHI PSI, N.J.D.A., and A.D.A. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Haddonfield and now in Valparaiso, Ind., and a former member of Tavistock County Club where he loved golfing and playing cards. Ray’s values were rooted in honesty and integrity. He taught all of us what it means to work hard, love joyfully and enjoy a good cocktail hour.
A military memorial service and celebration of his life will be held on July 14, 2017, 11 a.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, 20 E. Kings Hwy., Haddonfield, NJ 08033. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the church at the above address, the WWII Museum, 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 or a charity of your choice.
Arrangements by Kain-Murphy Funeral Services of Haddonfield.
