William Edward James

Bill James, 74, was born in Pensacola, Florida, on April 28, 1947, to Houston Franklin James and Marion

Tyo James. He died at home in Dallas, Texas on December 1, 2021.

Bill graduated from Bryan Adams High School in 1965. In 1967, he joined the United States Marine

Corps and was sent to fight in the Vietnam War. He served in Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine

Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was awarded two Purple Hearts, the second of which was awarded for

his wounds received during the Tet Offensive in the battle for the Imperial Palace in Hue’ City in 1968. He

was honorably discharged.

When the USS Hue’ City guided missile cruiser was to be commissioned, Bill was instrumental in

seeking out members of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment to be represented at the commissioning

honoring those who sacrificed. Afterward, the 1/5 Vietnam Marine Reunion Group was formed by Bill

and others. The group, numbering over 1000 members, later affiliated as a Chapter of the National 1st

Marine Division Association.

After the war, he attended Sam Houston State University where he met his wife, Linda. They were

married in 1975. He and Linda moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he finished his undergraduate

degree at James Madison University. They lived in Harrisonburg where Linda taught dance at the

university and Bill worked at the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record. He received multiple State awards for

his work in advertising.

In 1981, they moved to Dallas. Bill worked for many years in the family business, Dimensional

Designs. After retiring from the business world, Bill worked from home, consulting on creative freelance

projects and actively supporting numerous Democratic political campaigns.

Bill was a modern-day Renaissance Man. His ever-expanding interests and passions included music,

musicals, gardening, history, and politics just to name a short few.

Bill was predeceased by his beloved parents and his brother, Robert “Bob” James.

Bill is survived by his wife of 45 years, Linda James and a host of family members including: his sisters, Marion James Terry, Helen (Keith) Stewart, and Eva (John) Toia; his brother Don (Sheila) James; his nephews Troy Golden (Carrie), and Ben James (Alexandra Gordon); his nieces, Carolyn Terry (Roger Wilmot), Annie Terry (Eric Normington), Marion (Kris) Wildes, Abbey (Whitten) Smart, and Katy (Jack) Daly; his grand-nephews and grand-nieces, Dylan Golden, Noah Wilmot, Zoe Normington, Devon Wilmot, Evan Wildes, Jackson & Ryan Smart, Beau & Tyo Normington, Owen Wildes, Rafaela James and Marion June Daly; and countless dear friends.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at First Unitarian Church of Dallas, 4015 Normandy Avenue,

Dallas, Texas, 75205, on Thursday, December 9, 2021, at 4:00 pm. Masks will be mandatory, no

exceptions.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate to the charity of your choice. Bill would ask for a

donation to be made to the www.texasdemocrats.org.