James Jeffrey Davids

Nov. 29,1968 to March 13,2026

James died at age 57 in his home in Rosemount, MN.

Services are at Richfield Lutheran Church in Richfield, MN at 1:00 pm Saturday March 28, 2026.  Interment will be in the spring at the Samhold Lutheran Church Cemetery in Gonvick, MN under the direction of the Cease Family Funeral Home in Bagley.

James was born to Robert & Audrey Davids, the youngest of 5 children.

In his early life, James held a variety of jobs, mainly in security but he thrived at any job where he could be with people. Talking about gardening, sports – especially the Vikings, and his family were some of his favorite topics. James was very active in the church and gave sermons at Samhold Lutheran Church in Gonvick, when he had the opportunity.

James married Linda in 1989 and fully took on the role of dad with her 2 boys, Justin and Brandon. Later, welcoming Rebakah and Nathan to the family. While life chose a different path for both, this is very much a part of his story.

As James navigated a new normal in his life, he met Chris in 2007 who was on the same trajectory as James was, and the pair became friends with an unshakable foundation, before falling in love and marrying in 2011. James again took on 2 more children, Shane & Samantha and continued his role with a blended family. In 2014, he graduated from Rasmussen with a degree in Criminal Justice, although blind, he achieved a GPA of 3.18. Traveling was very important to James, not necessarily the destination but the journey itself. If it was the cabin at LaSalle or friends in Bemidji, or a drive to California.

When James got the news he was in kidney failure in 2012 and needed dialysis he did not want to be limited to what he did by his illness. So, James and Chris learned how to do dialysis at home and did so for over a decade. This allowed them to still do the things they loved, camping was a big one. A camper was purchased and James was able to still enjoy what he loved and take care of himself at the same time. He never wanted to be confined to any situation because of a health limitation.

As James life progressed, things felt like he was not able to do the things he could before, so he grew flowers and vegetables and started to play the guitar with lessons from his friend Matt. James dabbled in writing songs in his head, he always looked for what he could do, not what he couldn’t and always gave it his best shot. His sister Amy also came to see him once a week and they played guitar together and just had a great time. He loved his dogs like they were his children and he always found a source of good in any situation. James is the definition of kind, unwavering support and unlimited love for all of his family and friends.