James Wesley

James was an oil field brat. He lived in various places such as Norcross, GA and La Grange, GA as well as Exxon Camps in Venezuela. He attended and graduated from Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, TN and studied at Georgia Military College before joining the Army in 1957.

James met and married Maralie Davis on July 26, 1959. The couple welcomed 2 beautiful baby girls into their lives. During his military career, James was stationed at Ft Huachuca, AZ, Ponce, PR, Ft Hood, TX, Germany, Vietnam, Ft Knox, KY, Ansbach, Germany, and lastly Fort McClellan, AL. He retired Dec 1981 after 23 ½ years of service.

Following a year of employment in the civilian sector, James returned to civil service as a Department of Defense Police Officer in Houston, TX and returned to Ft Hood in July 1985 as a Federal Game Warden, retiring for the second time in July 2005.

James is preceded in death by his wife Maralie in 2012, his parents in 1998 and his brother-in-law Tito Madrazo in 2024.

James is survived by his 2 daughters, Cynthia L. Baril and Jean E. Watts (K Lee); 2 grandsons, James W. Crawford and James L. Watts (Elijah Algoe); 2 great granddaughters, Aubry Crawford Owens and Payton Crawford; his sister, Sara (Wesley) Madrazo; 2 nieces, Marisol (Bill) Curtiss, Michele (Andrew) Owen and nephew, Tito Eric (Danielle) Madrazo.

A Visitation for James will be held Wednesday, December 18, 2024, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home, 1615 South Fort Hood Road, Killeen, TX 76542-1654. A Funeral Service will occur Thursday, December 19, 2024, from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home. A Committal Service will occur Thursday, December 19, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, 11463 TX-195, Killeen, TX 76542.