James "Dan" Daniel Bubb

James Daniel “Dan” Bubb of Gaithersburg, MD passed on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at the age of 71, in the loving presence of his sister Lisa, brother William, and sister-in-law, Enid. 

Dan was born at Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis, MO on August 27, 1952 to Frank William Bubb, Jr. and LaVerne Evelyn Bubb (nee Rosenow).  He was brother to Frank W. Bubb, III (deceased), John M. Bubb, Lisa A. Jorgensen (nee Bubb), and William A. Bubb, brother-in-law to Enid Sanchez-Bubb, uncle to Daniel E. and David W. Bubb, Andrew T. and Michael N. Geuss, Erik Daniel Jorgensen, Isabela C., Ariana M. and Sarah Daniela Bubb, stepbrother to Deborah Webb, Denise Baker, Lisa Warner, Amy and Judy Papian, and stepson to Patricia Bubb and William Papian. 

Dan showed an early mechanical aptitude by disassembling and re-assembling his tricycle at age 3.  At age 14, he designed and fabricated his custom monocoque go-kart with independent suspension.  He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University and worked as a lead mechanical design engineer.  His employment included:  Artronix where he worked on brain-scanning and tomography equipment, Ford Aerospace (formerly Loral Aerospace) where he worked on classified programs, and 4Wave during the pinnacle of his career, where he designed and oversaw the assembly and operational testing of custom ion beam etching equipment and vacuum assemblies. 

Dan was the quintessential mechanical engineer/gearhead who once adapted a Fiat 850 Coupe to accept a Fiat 124 engine, including designing and fabricating his own fuel injection system, exhaust system, cooling system, suspension and numerous other adaptations.  His other feats include turbocharging numerous VW Sciroccos and customizing the Engine Control Units per application.  He also designed, fabricated, and sold numerous sets of engine mounts to facilitate engine / transmission transplants and is cited for his extraordinary mechanical abilities in numerous posts on www.VWVortext.com.  He loved automobile racing and raced his beloved metallic lime green ‘76 Scirocco in autocross in G-stock class, undefeated locally and winning his class convincingly in the Midwest division in 1978. 

Dan is survived by his sister Lisa, brothers John and William, his sister-in-law Enid, nieces, nephews, and stepsisters. 

Memorial services for family and friends TBD.