William Henry Daniels

William Henry Daniels, Captain Henry, passed from this life early Saturday morning; he was 87 years old. He went peacefully at home with his family surrounding him.
Working on the water and advocating for the welfare of the rivers and oceans were his lifeworks. Starting as a young man, he worked small crab boats around the Pamlico River while he attended high school and drove the school bus. He met Joyce in his Senior year, and they became engaged at Christmas in 1956. They were married after graduation on June 2, 1957. Rosemary was born the next year and Bryan four years later.
When crabbing was not enough to provide for his family, Henry and Joyce moved to New Jersey where he worked at the Toms River Chemical Company for five years but, the water and home called him back to North Carolina.
In 1966, there was concern over how the new phosphate company in Aurora would impact the water and environment. North Carolina State University built a lab and sent professors who needed a skilled guide to captain their boats while they researched, and Henry found himself back on the water in a different capacity. He continued to work for N.C. State for ten years while crabbing during his time off with Joyce and Bryan by his side.
In 1976 he was able to buy and build the 57-foot wood trawler, and named it Bryan D. This was the beginning of the family business. When Bryan graduated, the boat became his full-time job alongside his daddy. In 1979, the Bryan D was sold, and Henry bought a 76-foot steel hull trawler, which he named the Joyce D after his wife and partner. The boat has been redesigned over the years as the family business continued. In 1993, Henry's son Bryan became Captain and took over the boat while Henry "retired" to his hobbies and home. Henry continued to work a small boat, the Brittany Faye, and oystered around the creek and rivers.
Henry's expertise concerning shrimping, fishing, and the water has always been appreciated and known throughout the community. He wrote and participated in multiple grants with major North Carolina universities. In 1998-2000, he teamed with the University of North Carolina, Wilmington on the grant "Shrimp and Crab Trawling Impact on the Estuarine Soft-Bottomed Organisms". The most recent grant and research was with East Carolina University in 2001-2003 "Potential Impacts of Bottom Trawling on Water Column Productivity and Sediment Transport Process".
Henry wanted to protect the fishing industry and worked tirelessly with his wife Joyce to do that. Henry was a member of the North Carolina Fisheries Association for many years and served as a board member from 1993-1998, during this time, he was Chairperson of the Personnel Committee and North Carolina Fishing Show. He was on the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan which included the Citizen Advisory Committee and was a Voting Member.
In 1996, he was a member of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. For many years was on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and served as Advisor for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass; Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and served as Advisor for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass. He has served on the Crustacean and Turtle Advisory Committee and was Shrimp Advisor to the South Atlantic Council.
In 1998, for his tireless efforts to preserve and protect the fishing industry, Henry and Joyce Daniels were awarded the highest honor the North Carolina Fisheries Association can bestow, The Highliner's Award. In 1998, "Going Solo" was published in the National Fisherman Magazine, and in the 2016 National Fisherman Yearbook, "The First Family of Fishing" was published. These articles, awards, and positions have shown the love of fishing and the water that was in Henry's blood.
The most important thing in his life was taking care of his family and the second was working on the water. He was well-loved by his family and was a good friend to many, words are not adequate to describe how hard he worked and what he accomplished throughout his life.
His hobbies were many through the years including training bird dogs and field trials, horse riding, building model trawlers, reading Louis L'Amour westerns, restoring old cars - especially Fords, and riding motorcycles all over the country with Joyce riding behind him.
Henry leaves behind his wife of 67 years, Joyce; son Bryan and his wife Cathy; daughter Rosemary; his grandsons JB and his wife Amber, Cliff and his wife Terri; granddaughters Brittany, and Leigh and her husband Jamie; his great-granddaughters Aubrey and Madison and his great-grandsons Avery and Greyson.
A Visitation will be held on Wednesday January 29, 2025 between 2:00 to 3:00 PM at St. Clair's Church of Christ in Bath, N.C. A Funeral Service will be held on January 29, 2025 at 3:00 PM at St. Clair's Church of Christ in Bath, N.C.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St. Jude's Children Hospital by clicking here
Joseph B. Paul Jr. Funeral Service is honored to assist the Daniels Family. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William, please visit our floral store.