James C. Dail

James Call Dail III of Crofton, known to all as “Jim,” passed away surrounded by family on July 1, 2021, at the age of 81. He was born April 3, 1940, in Kinston, North Carolina, to James C. Dail Jr. and Helen Glenn Dail.

In 1965, Jim married Joyce Carolyn Jaeger in Frederick, Maryland. They celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary this past June.

From the time he was 10 years old, Jim had a passion for philately [stamp collecting]. He was active in many stamp-related organizations, including the Bowie Stamp Club, Baltimore Philatelic Society, and Chesapeake Club. Additionally, in his younger years, he loved fishing and playing tennis.

After graduating from high school in Kinston, NC, Jim attended North Carolina State University, before transferring to Atlantic Christian College, currently Barton College, where he graduated in 1963. He then went on to earn a Master's Equivalency through various graduate school programs, including East Carolina University and University of Maryland.

For 31 years he served as a high school math teacher, including 28 years at Bowie High School in Bowie, MD.

With his retirement from teaching, Jim started volunteering for the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC., eventually becoming a docent in the Bonsai Collection. Also, he and his wife Joyce enjoyed traveling, including trips to Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, The Netherlands, England, Ireland, California, Utah, Florida, Arizona, and frequently returned to his home state of North Carolina.

He is survived by his wife Joyce, daughters Jennifer (Donnie) and Helen, grandson Kyle, and granddaughters Reilly and Annaliese.

In lieu of a formal service, a gathering in celebration of Jim’s life will be held between 2-4 pm, on Friday, July 16th, at Beall Funeral Home, 6512 NW Crain Highway (Route 3 South), Bowie, MD, https://www.beallfuneral.com/. Afterward, the family will host an open house from 4:30-7 pm at the Dail home in Crofton.

In memory of Jim, donations may be made to Friends of the National Arboretum, 3501 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002, https://www.fona.org/home/support/.

The family wishes to thank everyone at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center and the Tate Cancer Center for their kind, compassionate care of Jim and our family.