James Wilson BRAZZIL

1915 - 2011  (95 years)

• Name	James Wilson BRAZZIL  [1, 2]
  Born	16 Nov 1915	Flat, Coryell, Texas, USA   [3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Name	Jim Brazzil
  Name	Wilson Brazzil
  Died	28 Jun 2011	, Harris, Texas, USA   [5]
  Buried	1 Jul 2011	Highlands, Harris, Texas, USA
  	Address: Sterling White Chapel and Cemetery Harris County Harris County, Texas
  Obituary	4 Jul 2011	Gatesville, Coryell, Texas, USA
  Gatesville Messenger
  James Wilson Brazzil James Wilson Brazzil, of Highlands, Texas, passed away on June 28, 2011. He was 95. Jim, known as Wilson to many family members, was born on Nov. 16, 1915, to Alice Hamilton Brazzil and James Edwin Brazzil, the third of their ten children. He and his brothers and sisters grew up on farms in Coryell County near the town of Flat. As a youngster, he was fascinated with writing and the world of newspapers. He landed his first newspaper job, at the Coryell County News in Gatesville, when he was 21. His four-decade newspaper career included a tour in the South Pacific during World War II as a journalist with the 13th Jungle Air Force. After the War, Jim worked at newspapers around Texas. In the 1950s, the family moved to Highlands, where Jim and brother-in-law, Alton Neatherlin, began publication of their own weekly newspaper, The Highlands Star. During Jim's 20 years as editor, the Star won 35 awards for excellence from the Texas Press Association. In the late 1970s, Jim sold his half of the paper and opened Jim's Office Supply. There he and Bonnie continued to serve the needs of their community. When Jim retired from the office supply store, he began writing books. His first, Owl Creek, told of his childhood and family life in Coryell County. His second, The House of Coot, was a work of fiction set during the same time period. His third, published when he was 91, was A Thistle in the Wind, the story of his years as a newspaperman. All three books testify to the importance of family, friends and community, and Jim embodied that belief in life as well. He and Bonnie were married 61 years and raised three children. Jim was a community leader in Highlands and served as an elder in the Church of Christ. In 2007, the Highlands-Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce honored him with the Terry Davis Memorial Award for a Lifetime of Achievements. Jim was preceded in death by his infant son, Jerry Bob Brazzil; his parents, Alice and Edwin Brazzil; his wife, Bonnie; his brothers, Chuck Brazzil and Bill Brazzil; and his sisters, Bennie Williams, Charlene Neatherlin and Lois McCutchen. He is survived by daughter, Bonita Tankursley and husband, Steven Tankursley, of Highlands; daughter, Susan Adcox and husband, Ronnie Adcox, of Baytown; and son, Mark Brazzil and wife, Leslie Brazzil, of The Woodlands. Also surviving are grandchildren, Nikki Tankursley, Leslie Adcox Sanderson and husband, Gordon Sanderson, Laurie Adcox Haffelfinger and husband, Clint Haffelfinger, Nathan Adcox, Will Brazzil and Caleb Brazzil. Seven great-grandchildren also survive, Hannah, Kylie and Helen Sanderson, Austin, Erik and Isaak Haffelfinger and Lela Adcox. He is also survived by his brother, John Brazzil of Canyon; and his sisters, Gladys Barr of Gatesville, Sarah McCutchen of Georgetown and Bobbie Geiselbrecht of Gatesville. Many nieces and nephews also survive. Services were held Friday, July 1, at 10 a.m. at Sterling-White Funeral Home in Highlands. Services were entrusted to Sterling-White Funeral Home, 11011 Crosby-Lynchburg Rd. Highlands, Texas 77562.
  Person ID	I1713	An Armstrong & A Heffernan
  Last Modified	6 Feb 2015

  
  

  Father	James Edwin BRAZZIL,   b. 9 Jan 1888, Moffat, Bell, Texas, USA ,   d. 22 Dec 1972, Temple, Bell, Texas, USA  (Age 84 years)
  Mother	Eva Alice HAMILTON,   b. 8 May 1890, Flat, Coryell, Texas, USA ,   d. 17 Mar 1971, Gatesville, Coryell, Texas, USA  (Age 80 years)
  Married	10 Jul 1910	Gatesville, Coryell, Texas, USA   [6]
  Family ID	F903	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  James wrote

  
  

• Sources

  [S1292] Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981, (FamilySearch.org), Brazzil, James Wilson. [S106] 1920 Coryell, TX, ED 61, pg 10A. James W Brazzil [S1292] Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981, (FamilySearch.org), Brazzil, James Wilson. 16 Nov 1915, Flat, Coryell County [S106] 1920 Coryell, TX, ED 61, pg 10A. age 4, Texas [S528] SSDI, (FamilySearch.org), 466-03-2296. [S265] Coryell Co, Texas Marriage Book, Bk 8, Page 112, #314. Returned 8/5/1910. Married by J N Ludwick.