Jesse Asberry Sumpter

Jesse Asberry Sumpter passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 23, 2013 at the age of 84 due to Alzheimer’s Disease. In his final years he was cared for at home with love and compassion by his son, David C. Sumpter. No father could wish for a more devoted and caring son.

Jesse Sumpter will be remembered by his family and friends as a man of unfailing good humor and kindness. Even in illness, he always had a smile on his face and laughter in his heart. God hold you close, Daddy.

Mr. Sumpter was born and raised in the small town of Eagle Pass, Texas on February 4, 1929. He joined the Navy in 1950 and served for four years. During his service in the Korean War he had the opportunity to visit Japan, and he developed a life-long love of Japanese and Chinese art and culture. After separation from the Navy, Mr. Sumpter settled in California and attended the Art Center School in Los Angeles. He might have stayed have stayed in California permanently but for the unexpected death of his father—which brought him back to Eagle Pass and reunited him with niece of a friend, now all-grown up.

Jesse Sumpter and Maria Magdalena Benavides married in June of 1961, Mr. Sumpter’s only marriage. The marriage ended in an amicable divorce in 1975 and produced his beloved children—David and Chrystina.

After his marriage, Mr. Sumpter made a home with his new wife in Austin, Texas and attended the University of Texas on the G.I. Bill, earning his BA in Architecture in 1965. He had a long and rewarding career as an architect, starting out at Page, Southerland, Page before moving on to the University of Texas where he oversaw renovations on the Bauer house, and he was instrumental in developing the “Shangri-La” architecture that characterizes UT El Paso. Mr. Sumpter was also project manager for programs at UT Permian Basin and the UT McDonald Observatory before once moving to Houston in 1974 to once again rejoin the firm of Page, Southerland, Page.

Mr. Sumpter fell in love with the vitality and cosmopolitan feel of Houston. He went on to make Houston his home for the rest of his life. In 1976, Mr. Sumpter took a job as Chief Architect for the Community Development Division of Harris County, where he oversaw community parks and buildings. In 1979 he returned to the UT system, taking a job at M.D. Anderson as their in-house architect.

In 1984, Mr. Sumpter fulfilled a life-long dream and took a year off to pursue his artistic aspirations full-time. Art had always been Mr. Sumpter’s first love, and he had actively honed his craft, but only began showing later in life. In September of 1982 he took the First Award at The Art League of Houston Gallery Fall Festival and in July of 1985 he was awarded one of three awards of merit in a Membership Competition, also at The Art League of Houston Gallery.

After his year off, Mr. Sumpter returned to architecture with renewed energy, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, where he worked until his retirement in 1994. During his tenure at St. Luke’s, Mr. Sumpter was introduced to CAD, and fell in love—so much so that he banished his drafting table to the basement and fell so in love with his computer that he was given a poster-size photo of it as a good-bye gift upon his retirement. He continued to do CAD contract work for many years after his retirement just to keep his skills up.

Throughout his later years Mr. Sumpter continued to pursue his art. Mr. Sumpter was also an active member of the Willy Wang Workshop, run by internationally renowned artist, Willy Wang. In December of 1985, one of Mr. Sumpter’s works was exhibited at the Texas Visions Exhibits at the Transco Tower and in April of 1987 his “Crucifixion/Resurrection” was used at the Good Friday service at the Rothko Chapel, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas. In April of 1991 Mr. Sumpter’s “Stations of the Cross” were featured in a three-person show at the O’Kane Gallery. The “Stations” were also part of “Three Views of the Via Dolorosa” at the Biblical Arts Center in Dallas, Texas in April 1994. In October of 1995, Mr. Sumpter had a one-person show: “Painting with Waves of Light” at the Innova in Houston, Texas.

In 2000 “Stations of the Cross” and “Crucifixion/Resurrection” were donated to St. Jerome’s Catholic Church in Houston, Texas where they are on permanent display, along with several of Mr. Sumpter’s head drawings.

Mr. Sumpter is survived by his son, David C. Sumpter, his daughter, Chrystina Sumpter, and her husband Lawson Roberts, and his siblings: David L. and Linda Sumpter, Bob and Anita Sumpter, Fred and Barbara Sumpter, Vera Sumpter, Linda and Beto Olivares, and Bill Brennen. He is pre-deceased by brother Rudy Sumpter and his former-wife Magdalena B. Sumpter.

The family would like to thank Home Care Assistance and Berda Oliver for the attention and care they provided to Mr. Sumpter in his last years.

Services will be on October 31, 2013, 10:00AM, at St. Jerome’s Catholic Church, 8825 Kempwood, Houston, Texas. Interment will be in Eagle Pass, Texas in a private ceremony.