James was born on March 28, 1938 in Fort Worth, Texas to James Sr. and Ouida Lunsford. He graduated from Ft. Worth’s Arlington Heights High School in 1956 and went on to attend Texas Tech University. In 1963, he went to work for the Department of Defense. James moved to El Paso, Texas in 1965 to begin working at White Sands Missile Range as a mathematician. In 1970, he married his first wife Rosie and he adopted and raised her four children as his own. He retired from the Department of Defense in 1998, after 35 years of service. In his spare time James enjoyed barbecuing by the pool (bourbon on the rocks in hand) with his family and friends. He enjoyed keeping up with college football and was a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan. James was a kind, loving, and generous man who will be greatly missed by everyone who had the honor to know him.
He is survived by his 3 children, Patricia, Frank & his wife Michelle and Michael; his six grandchildren, Christopher, Travis, Austin, Sydney, Katelyn and Coby; and great granddaughter Emma. He is preceded in rest by his first wife Rosie, his son Joe, and his second wife Harriet. Pallbearers are: Travis Coulter, Austin Coulter, Mike Guile, Jimmy Casner, Eric Martin, George Navarro,
& Paul Stevens.