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James David Plott – born on Feb. 14, 1955 – passed peacefully at the Hinkle Hospice House in Lexington on July 3, 2022.

He was a kind, honest, and loyal man with a thirst for knowledge and a love for the natural world. He grew up in rural Advance in a time before the hustle and bustle. His parents’ house was located in the southeast corner of the I-40 and NC 801 intersection; although I-40 stopped there at the time and did not continue any farther west. He enjoyed recounting the genuine people and places of the bygone days in Advance, Smith Grove and Farmington. As a child, he enjoyed watching all of the western cowboy shows, taking family vacations, and quarreling with his two older sisters, especially Nancy. As an adolescent, he enjoyed playing baseball, and later softball, as well as hunting and fishing, especially in Farmington. Later in life, he enjoyed playing cowboy, riding bareback broncos in local rodeos before multiple injuries took their toll and led him to stop, but not before he learned to live by the motto “When you get knocked off the horse, you have to dust yourself off and get right back in the saddle.” He enjoyed keeping up with the national rodeo circuits, and he especially enjoyed watching the PRCA on The Cowboy Channel.

He started his career working on the tobacco market for RJ Reynolds, then on various farms around Davie County, including South Fork on Woodward Road and Whip O Will on Cana Road. Later, he worked as a project manager for Davis-Martin-Powell & Associates, a civil engineering firm in High Point, and then as public works director for Davie County. He knew many people in the county and would rarely drive down any road without waving to someone he knew.

He had a deep respect for Native Americans and shared a passion for their culture and values. He collected many books and enjoyed studying the history of the tribes. He even learned to speak the Cherokee language. In 2015, he enjoyed a solo mission trip to Arizona to help rehabilitate a Christian church in the town of Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Reservation. Toward the end of his life, he enjoyed reading the accounts of early interactions with the Cherokee Indians from the perspective of the Moravian Church.

He is preceded in death by: his parents, James Henry Jr. “J.H.” and Betty Plott.

He is survived by: his only child, James Read (Alyssa) Plott, and his grandson, James Samuel Plott of Thomasville; his 2 sisters, Gail Walker of Advance and Nancy (Arnie) Harpe of Mocksville; and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in David’s honor to: Western Indian Ministries at 505-371-5749; or to The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation at 202-857-0166.

Online condolences: www.hayworth-miller.com.