James Vincent Semrad

Woodland - James Vincent Semrad arrived home after every trip notifying family: "I cheated death again." And it was true. A son-in-law wondered if James' wife was trying to kill him by giving him flying lessons and Porsches. Put him behind the controls of a car or plane, or anything really, and he was sure to test its limits and his own.

Death got their due though, robbing James of the dream he shared with his late wife, Sherry, of exiting this life with "bugs on teeth." He died peacefully on March 19, 2025 with his youngest child bearing witness. Asked how he was the day before, he said, "Just peachy," with a characteristic shrug.

James was born to the late John and Christina Semrad in Clarendon, TX on May 4, 1941. The girls of Clarendon were thrilled to have a fourth Semrad son arrive - though no one can imagine why, given their antics. A smartass like his brothers, James once pretended to be lost as he was flying and in a deadpan manner, asked his passenger if the plane had enough fuel. You had to look sharp to catch that twinkle in his eye before cottoning on.

Within 17 years, Clarendon girls' hopes were dashed. Sherry, at fifteen, had caught him, though try as she might, she couldn't unhook him and throw him back.

Still babes themself, they had the last of their three kids by 1966. James had to sell his '66 cherry red Corvette for his own pig in a poke, his youngest. He sold it in Amarillo because Clarendon folk knew how he drove it. He carried a photo of that 'vette in his wallet, never letting his youngest forget.

James credited Sherry with his college degree from Tech in Engineering Physics in 1972, saying she paid for it and encouraged (rode his ass) into decent grades.

After a seven-year stint in civil service at Crane Naval Base, James ran an engineering physics lab at Texas Tech. While there, he invented gadgets for keeping cats awake for the psych department. He followed Sherry to Tucson in 1986 and joined WYKO Corporation. He was named in two patents: Friction connector for optical flats in interferometers" and "Horizontal-post/vertical-flexure arrangement for supporting large reference optics in phase-shifting scanning." Now, that's a mouthful.

He moved onto 4D Technology where he was recognized in 2004 for his work on the FizCam 1000 by R&D 100. The Nobel Foundation, in 2017, would later recognize the continuation of this work in laser interferometry by others.

Unaware of his own genius and taciturn to boot, James said the best way to keep people from knowing how dumb you are is to keep your mouth shut. Known as Slim Ass by his father-in-law, James was considered "a tall drink of water." They had to call out of surgery for a rod long enough to replace his shin bone, broken as he fell ass over tea kettle skiing. He could be seen using a blue shop towel wiping engine grease from between his fingers more often than not. Chances were it was someone else's engine too, whether it was a stranger's stranded on the road, a friend's, his children's, or a grandchild's.

Didn't have the right tool or part, no problem, he'd engineer it with a screwdriver, a pen cap, a nickel or whatever was at hand. His children didn't think things ever broke until they moved away.

Generous with his time and resources, he'd help his children with their math homework, slyly letting them work out the answer while he pretended to be stumped. He thrilled his daughter's seatmate on an L.A. to Phoenix flight, a stranger who needed to get to Tucson, by offering him a ride in his Cessna. He flew someone on a search for a downed remote control airplane only to crash his Luscombe into a mesquite bush, flying too low.

The birds James watched and imitated with sound and flight sang and took him on wing just as the rooster crowed. Having left us, what he'd say, "So glad you got to see me."

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A celebration will be held in Tucson on Saturday, April 12. Please visit the event site for up to date details. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-james-semrad-hooha-tickets-1301384388739?aff=oddtdtcreator