James Edward Darst, 33, died accidentally Thursday, April 7, 2016 while attending a conference in New Orleans. A Charlotte resident, Jamie was born July 11, 1982 in Burlington, NC and raised in Walnut Cove. After graduating from South Stokes High School, he continued his education at UNC-Chapel Hill, receiving the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 2005. Jamie married Katie Doyle of Durham in 2009. He was a Territory Services Manager in IT Consulting with Red Hat Consulting, having been honored recently for 10 years of service. Jamie was in the process of relocating his family to the Triangle area following a promotion from his company.
Jamie Darst had a passion for life, which he lived to the fullest and with gusto. He approached his relationships in the same intentional manner. Born into a musical family, Jamie was a phenomenal drummer. Most of all, Jamie was a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. His 3-year old son brought him boundless pleasure, as he was a devoted and fun dad, ideally suited for his role of fatherhood.
Jamie leaves his wife, Katie Doyle Darst; his son, Dylan James Darst and daughter, Mazie Helen Darst, born April 10, 2016; his mother, Linda Anne Darst of Walnut Cove and father, Edward Gilmer Darst, II of Kernersville; his siblings, Daniel Wayne Darst of Kernersville and Patricia Darst Cromer and husband, Daniel of Germanton; grandfathers, Robert Edward Darst and Lewis Ray Cheek; and step grandmother, Becky Bruffy Darst. Jamie was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother, Patricia Songy Cheek and paternal grandmother, Lorraine Noel Darst.
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered 10:00 AM Friday from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Private burial will follow in Maplewood Cemetery, Durham. Friends will be received 6-8 PM Thursday at Hall-Wynne Funeral Service.
So very sorry for your tragic loss of your precious Son, We will keep you and your Family in our Prayers for many days and months to come.
I was sorry to hear of your son's passing. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Keeping you and family in my thoughts and prayers. So sorry for your loss.
Linda and Eddie – I am so sorry for your loss. There are no words, but I hope you feel the love and support of all of your friends. Praying for you and Jamie's family as you all cope with your grief.
I was so sorry to hear about Jamie. Have been praying for all the family. May God comfort you all in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
Eddie, my heart goes out to you and your family during this difficult time. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
My sincere condolences to the family. This is so sad to read. Jamie was much too young and full of life but obviously he was needed more in Heaven. I will be remembering his parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, co workers and especially his wife and precious children in my prayers. May God Bless you all during this difficult time. He will sustain you all with peace and comfort.
Peace, love and comfort for all the family. So very sorry for the loss of your loved one.
There are no words. I am so sad for all of you… May God give you the strength to get through this most difficult time.
What you are enduring is incomprehensible to me and my heart aches for all of you and for Jamie's wife, son and baby girl. There is very little that can be said to ease the pain, but just know that Jamie knew a lot of people, and there are people in all corners of the country praying for all of you. It is my hope that in the coming days, weeks and years that sadness, frustration and tears lose out to love, peace of mind and laughter. I hope that Jamie's presence in all of your minds and hearts makes that happen.
Quick story. It was April or May of 1999, and I was a senior in high school; Jamie was a junior. Everyone gathered in the gym for the South Stokes talent show. It was the typical talent show…mostly singing and dancing. Then a skinny kid sat down behind a drum set and proceeded to just tear it up. Having not an ounce of musical talent, I was amazed and remember to this day how awesome that performance was. The entire gym just exploded in an uproar. The best part was that Jamie just stood up and calmly walked away from the drum set when he finished as if to say "yeah… that's just what I do." He was even able to work in some cow bell during the solo. It was great. I'll never forget that performance.
Jamie will be missed. God bless you all.
As a fairly new Red Hatter, I had the pleasure of meeting Jamie for the first time at the New Orleans conference. We struck up a lengthy conversation about collaborating on work, but ultimately that discussion led into him telling me about his family. He especially gushed over his new baby girl that was about to arrive, his son that was so excited, and his upcoming paternity leave. He beamed talking about you all. Sadly, that was just hours earlier before his accident. I feel honored to have gotten the chance to meet Jamie and to get to know him for just that bit of time. And, I just felt it was important to let you know that you were all so clearly on his mind that evening — with great pride and joy.
My sympathies for your loss. I hope that your wonderful memories of Jamie will give you comfort during this difficult time.
My heart is with you today.