James Danielson — Mechanic, Electrician, Cook — Dies At 51

BLUFFTON, SC — James Randolph Danielson, of Bluffton, South Carolina, died Oct. 3 of acute pancreatitis. He was 51.

He leaves behind his daughter Cameron (Danielson) Ness; grandson Ashton Ness; mother Sue (Newsome) Lilley, brothers Ryne Danielson and James Johnson; sisters Stephanie (Harrison) Workman, Rebecca (Harrison) Ferrell and Margaret (Harrison) Rocheleau; aunt JoAnn (Newsome) Green; uncle Bill Green; aunt Betty Danielson; uncles Steve and Al Danielson; and cousins Laura Green and Brent Green. Preceding him in death are his father, John Robert Danielson; grandfather, Arthur Oscar Danielson; grandmother Cordia Mae (Swan) Danielson; grandmother, Henrietta (Johnson) Newsome; grandfather James Newsome, for whom he was named; uncles Peter Jay Danielson and Hub Danielson; aunts Geraldine (Danielson) Benson, Joyce (Danielson) Galloway and Peggy (Danielson) Rogers; and cousin Brian Green.

Born Feb. 27, 1969, in High Point, North Carolina, James grew up in Mills River and Brevard, North Carolina, and graduated from Brevard High School in 1987. He earned a certificate in water management in 1992 and worked as a cook and manager at several Asheville-area restaurants, including Tijuana Junction, Cactus Willie's, Pedro's Porch and Olive Garden, where he was head cook.

He went to work with Brevard Moving and Storage in 1995 and soon bought a truck and started his own moving business, which he ran until he was injured in 2005.

James was a talented mechanic, electrician and cook. He could fix anything, from a car to a steak dinner, and loved motorcycles, cooking, history, science and space exploration.

James's younger brother had a hard time saying "brother" as a baby and called him "Boo" instead, a nickname that stuck. Boo introduced him to Star Trek, let him stay up late playing video games, and tried to be the best brother he could.

James always tried his best to help those he loved, and we'll miss him.

A memorial service will be held after the coronavirus pandemic is over. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Planetary Society, a nonprofit founded by astronomer Carl Sagan that advocates for research and public education related to astronomy, planetary science, and space exploration.