Thomas Z. James, beloved brother, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather died of natural causes on January 8, 2021. Tom was born July 2, 1926, and grew up on a farm in Pocahontas, Arkansas, the second of four children born to Tom and Nell James. He graduated valedictorian of his high school class. He often said he had three careers: he was a career officer in the Army Corps of Engineers; he was a civil servant for the City of Dallas; and he was a tax preparer for H&R Block.
Tom was a true patriot. A World War II draftee, he was onboard ship staged for the invasion of Japan when peace was declared. He graduated from West Point in 1951, and received his master’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M in 1957. He served in Korea, two tours in Viet Nam as well as numerous other postings around the world. During his military career, Tom traveled over one million miles between assignments.
He retired from the US Army a Lieutenant Colonel in 1971 and took a job with the
Tom was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, when he met the love of his life, his wife of over 68 years, Darlene Hornung. They met on a blind date on New Year's Eve and were married just a few months later in March of 1952. He often said he spent more time buying a pair of shoes than he did choosing a wife, but he made the right choice with Darlene.
They moved to Anchorage, Alaska, the first of many moves together, and continued to crisscross the globe while they raised their three children. Their last move was to Houston in 2008 to be near family.
Tom was an avid storyteller, and the family never tired of listening. He loved to tell jokes and laughed at his own humor with an infectious laugh. He was the joke teller for the Gleaners Sunday School Class at Lake Highlands United Methodist Church. He said he enjoyed retelling his favorite jokes to his senior friends because the jokes were always new again to them. Many of his jokes and stories are a part of family lore.
Tom is preceded in death by his sister Mary Brown, his brother David James, both of Pocahontas, Arkansas; and by two grandsons Tommy James and Cameron James, both of Houston. He is survived by his brother Ronald James of Mountain View, Arkansas; his wife Darlene of Houston; daughter Cathy (Dan) Gealy of Kuna, Idaho; son Tom (Nancy) James and son Mark (Suzie) James both of Houston; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Texas Children's Hospital. (www.texaschildrens.org)
Thomas Z. James, beloved brother, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather died of natural causes on January 8, 2021. Tom was born July 2, 1926, and grew up on a farm in Pocahontas, Arkansas, the second of four children born to Tom and Nell James. He graduated valedictorian of his high school class. He often said he had three careers: he was a career officer in the Army Corps of Engineers; he was a civil servant for the City of Dallas; and he was a tax preparer for H&R Block.
Tom was a true patriot. A World War II draftee, he was onboard ship staged for the invasion of Japan when peace was declared. He graduated from West Point in 1951, and received his master’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M in 1957. He served in Korea, two tours in Viet Nam as well as numerous other postings around the world. During his military career, Tom traveled over one million miles between assignments.
He retired from the US Army a Lieutenant Colonel in 1971 and took a job with the
City of Dallas where he worked in various capacities, including transportation regulation and the Director of Public Utilities. He appeared as an expert witness in utility regulation around the country and he was proud to be a public servant. After he retired from his job at the city in 1989, he worked for the State Fair of Texas in the Creative Arts Building and for H&R Block preparing taxes, which was his dream job. He loved helping people and loved the challenge of taxes. His third and final retirement was in 2008.
Tom was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, when he met the love of his life, his wife of over 68 years, Darlene Hornung. They met on a blind date on New Year's Eve and were married just a few months later in March of 1952. He often said he spent more time buying a pair of shoes than he did choosing a wife, but he made the right choice with Darlene.
They moved to Anchorage, Alaska, the first of many moves together, and continued to crisscross the globe while they raised their three children. Their last move was to Houston in 2008 to be near family.
Tom was an avid storyteller, and the family never tired of listening. He loved to tell jokes and laughed at his own humor with an infectious laugh. He was the joke teller for the Gleaners Sunday School Class at Lake Highlands United Methodist Church. He said he enjoyed retelling his favorite jokes to his senior friends because the jokes were always new again to them. Many of his jokes and stories are a part of family lore.
Tom is preceded in death by his sister Mary Brown, his brother David James, both of Pocahontas, Arkansas; and by two grandsons Tommy James and Cameron James, both of Houston. He is survived by his brother Ronald James of Mountain View, Arkansas; his wife Darlene of Houston; daughter Cathy (Dan) Gealy of Kuna, Idaho; son Tom (Nancy) James and son Mark (Suzie) James both of Houston; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Texas Children's Hospital. (www.texaschildrens.org)
Texas Children's Hospital
P.O. Box 300630, Houston, TX 77230.
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Tom was a great man. I was fortunate to have worked for him for several years. I learned more under Tom’s supervision than any other time in my life. His love of God, family and country have been passed along to all he supervised.
Tom was my mentor and friend. We worked side by side for the City of Dallas' Department of Public Utilities and Transportation Regulation for 13 years, he was the Director and I was his Assistant Director. Tom was the consummate professional. When he briefed the City Manager or City Council on an issue, there was no doubt that they knew it had been thoroughly studied and were getting the best advise possible. Tom could be stern but he was also compassionate; he truly cared his staff and the people he served. My best memories of Tom were when he and I would sit one on one in his office and share life stories. His stories were always enlightening and humorous but often interrupted by a phone call from the City Manager seeking his counsel. I think of Tom often; he will be missed greatly.
Mr. James was kind, he advised me on the importance of the stock market and how it works. Now May you soul RIP
On behalf of my entire family, I want to thank you and your staff for your excellent and caring service.
Thank you for all you did to make our mother's funeral special, dignified, and easy for us.
I just can't express to you enough how much we appreciated the kindness and professionalism my family experienced with you and your staff.
Thank you for treating my beloved mother with honor and respect all throughout the process.
Our family will be forever grateful to the owner and staff at Beresford Funeral Services for the excellent services they provided to our family upon the death of our loved one. Everything went smoothly. The planning was easy with everything needed for the funeral provided on sight at reasonable prices with no pressure to spend more than planned. They were flexible with our personal plans, very kind, and considerate from beginning to end. We would definitely recommend Beresford Funeral Services to anyone in need of funeral services.
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