Earl Eugene James

Earl Eugene James, age 85, died at sundown on August 25, 2010 at Harbor Hospice in Beaumont, TX. Earl was born in Marthaville, Louisiana on June 23, 1925, and resided in Beaumont for many years while he and his loving wife of 63 years, Odell Weeks James, raised their five children. The youngest son of Frank and Willie James, Earl was a mischievous, feisty and adventurous child who often tried his parents’ patience. Therefore, they were not surprised when he reached adulthood and enlisted in the Army without their knowledge. Little did Earl know he would participate in the most decisive battle of World War II, the Allied Invasion of Western Europe at Normandy Beach, France on June 6, 1944. Earl served in General Patton’s 3rd Infantry, joining his older brothers, Huey and Dick, who were already serving their country. The James Boys from Marthaville proudly served in three different theatres of combat. After the war, Earl entertained his fellow troops in boxing exhibitions, proving he still had many “oats to sow”. Once discharged in 1946, he and his high school sweetheart, Odell Weeks, resumed their courtship. In 1947, they eloped with her mother’s egg money. They began a family right away, and Earl softened into a devoted and loving husband and father. He worked on oil rigs all over the South, but when their oldest child was school age, their nomadic lifestyle ended. In 1951, Earl was struck with polio that weakened his body, but not his spirit. After a year of treatments, the family moved to Beaumont, and he began work as a pipefitter in 1952 for Magnolia Refinery, which later became Mobil Oil. Earl quickly endeared himself to his co-workers, and many knew him only as “Blue Eyes”. In 1987, Earl retired from Mobil Oil and moved back to the family homestead in Marthaville where he and Odell lived until his health began to fail. In 2007, they moved to Lumberton, Texas, to be closer to their children. Earl loved God, his family and his county, in that order. A man of strong values and morals, he taught these by example to his children and grandchildren. Earl had a special relationship with each member of his family and cherished the bond each shared with him. Earl leaves his adoring wife, Odell, and four surviving children and their spouses: Theresa Ferguson of Mobile, Alabama, Vicki Gray (Vick) of Kountze, Denny (Joy) of Beaumont and Dale (Fiancé, Ellen Godwin) of Port Acres; loving granddaughters, also known as “Earl’s Girls”: Tracy Hartman (James) and Dottie LeBlanc (Matt) of Mobile, Alabama, Belinda Sheffield (Quinton) of Nederland, Rachel Flowers (Kenneth) of Silsbee, Annie James (Mark) of Beaumont, Kallie Kotlarz (Jason) of Beaumont, Molly James of Lumberton and Taylor Godwin of Port Acres; precious great-grandchildren: Ty Hartman of Mobile, Alabama, Lyssa and Preston Sheffield of Nederland and Lillie Marie Flowers of Silsbee; siblings: Huey James of Redwood City, California, Ruth Hampton of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Louise Maroney of Mansfield, Louisiana. Earl was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Willie James, son, Earl Eugene “Hotrod” Jr., brother, Dick James of Marthaville, and great-granddaughter, Kinsley Leighan Kotlarz of Beaumont. Funeral arrangements for Earl James are under the direction of Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home, 848 Keyser Street, Natchitoches, Louisiana 71457. A visitation for family and friends is scheduled for Friday, August 27 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm at the funeral home. Services will be on Saturday, August 28, at 10am in the Blanchard St. Denis Chapel with Rev. Brian Jennings officiating. Entombment will follow immediately after the service at Beulah Cemetery in Marthaville, Louisiana, where his son and generations of his family are buried. Earl was an humble man who worked hard, loved his family and lived by God’s word. However, to all who knew and loved him, he was their role model, confidant and friend. Earl’s family is grateful to the kind and compassionate staff of Harbor Hospice in Beaumont, Texas. They have requested memorial contributions be sent to the Harbor House Foundation, 2450 North Major Drive, Beaumont, TX 77720.