James Daniel

James R. Daniel NORFOLK - James R. "Jim" Daniel, 78, went to be with the Lord April 23, 2010. He was born Aug. 3, 1931 in Murphy, N.C., to Henderson and Eva Daniel. He is survived by two sons, Christopher L. Daniel of Petersburg, Va., Eric J. Daniel and his wife Jessica Daniel of Norfolk; grandson, Christopher J. Daniel; and family members, Michelle Crutcher, Jerry Crutcher and Gary Crutcher, all from Norfolk. Jim proudly served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and later joined and retired from the Norfolk Fire Department in 1985. He was also a member of Bayview Baptist Church in Norfolk. His main hobbies were flying personal aircraft and metal detecting. In 1989, on the beach of Ocean View, he used his underwater metal detector to find a class ring that was lost in the summer of 1927. Instead of keeping or selling the ring, as many treasure hunters would do, he took the time to track down the original owner and returned the class ring. He also enjoyed yard work and spending time with his sons and grandson. A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 1, at 11 a.m. at the Bayview Baptist Church in Norfolk.