James Willms

James H. Willms, 60, of Brenham, died Feb. 9, 2007, at Trinity Medical Center in Brenham. Mr. Willms was born July 22, 1946, in Cudahy, Wisconsin, to George Martin and Alta Heider Willms. He was a graduate of McCallum High Shool in Austin and attended TSTI.

Serving his country in the Army during the Vietnam War, Mr. Willms was stationed in Germany and Vietnam. On Jan. 8, 1977, he was married to Judy Hahn at her home. Mr. Willms was a member of Christ Lutheran Church of Brenham. He was a life member of Buddy Wright Post 48, serving as commander from 1978-1979, and was a member of the Alumni of Citizens Police Academy. Mr. Willms worked for Appel Motors, TFE, Brenham Wholesale Grocery and later as a greeter for Wal-Mart. He served as a soccer coach and was active in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Mr. Willms enjoyed collecting coins, stamps and miniature cars. He loved to bargain hunt at flea markets and was an avid Texas Longhorns supporter.

Survivors include his wife, Judy Willms of Brenham; two sons, Ronald D. Willms of Brenham and James David Willms of Conroe; family friend, Angelique Neecke of Conroe; brother and sister-in-law, John and Marilyn Willms of Arkansas; sister, Mary Jane Willms of Round Rock; nieces and nephews, Jeff and Cathy Willms of Bridgeville Delaware, Aaron and Lydia Willms of Carrollton, Devin Willms of Dallas and Brian and Terri Willms and their children, Haley Willms and Harrison Shockley of Sandspring, Oklahoma; mother-in-law, Dorothy Hahn of Brenham; and his special Godchild, Vanessa Moudry. He was preceded in death by his parents; and father-in-law, Eugene Jack Hahn.

The family will receive visitors from 6:00-8:00 p.m. today at Memorial Oaks Chapel in Brenham. The funeral service will be at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Christ Lutheran Church of Brenham with Pastors Mike Button and Walter Schindehette officiating. Burial will be in Prairie Lea Cemetery in Brenham.

Pallbearers will be Matt Moudry, Jason Yourgules, Jimmy Tiemann, Albert Green Jr., Leroy Batts and Mark Roesler. All employees of Wal-Mart and Brenham Wholesale Grocery will be considered honorary pallbearers.

Memorials may be given to Christ Lutheran Church of Brenham or the American Legion Buddy Wright Post 48.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main St., in Brenham. EULOGY
I was dreading today because I yearn to hug my dad one last time. I long to see his smiling face or hear his cheerful voice. On the other hand, I wanted today to come so that I could be around all of the people who love my dad so that I might feel his presence through sharing memories of him, sharing tears, and maybe even sharing some laughter. So on behalf of our family, thank you all for honoring my father, James, his life and his memory by being here today. I know that he will be humbled by your compassion. We are here to cry and smile at the life of a man who had a simple and loving relationship with everyone he ever knew by being a remarkable, genuine and good man.
The loss of my father has been painful, yet also strangely reaffirming because it has made me ever more aware of the gift that he was to us. During our family activities we whirled around his gravitational pull as he taught, advised, teased and cheered us on. Like all charismatic figures, his strength often radiated into his flaws with equal volume. When he intended to annoy or pester, he really succeeded.
My mother was the love of his life. They were married for just over 30 years. They stayed together through good times and bad. They stayed together in sickness and in health. One thing I can say that their relationship taught me is that in the end love endures. She gave him a home from which he could pull his practical jokes and crazy stunts without spinning out of control. It was always a balancing act to keep his jokes from going too far. I think his sense of humor is what he ll be remembered for most. I'd love to hear a compilation of all the jokes he told and all the practical jokes he participated in or instigated. It would be a long list. Of course, he always laughed loudest and longest at his own jokes, with a big grin and wiggling eyebrows. We got to hear those jokes repeated over and over, if we showed appreciation.
My father was a person who understood a hard day's work. As a good father does, he poured vast amounts of love and energy into my brother and I, during our most formative years. I remember the afternoons he would come home from work, sit down at the kitchen table and read the newspapers. I never really understood what was so compelling until one day it occurred to me and I soon realized that it was because he wanted to know what was happening in the world because of his genuine concern and love for others. When I succeeded, he stood back, took no credit and cheered. When I failed, you were by my side. What more could a son ask? We were lucky to spend our lives with one of the rare ones. Between his influence and my mom's influence I developed the skill of stubbornness. He was generous with his time. He would do anything for anybody at any time. My dad loved toys, specifically cars.
All of us here are suffering from the loss of my father, but the world will also now suffer from the loss of a great man who had much more to do on this earth. If I could see my dad one more time, I would tell him that I love him and I will keep him in my heart always. I've had a hard time sleeping these last few nights. I keep waking up in the middle of the night, tears in my eyes, trying to believe the new reality. But despite all the grief, the pain, the infinite night amazingly, unexplainably, the sun keeps coming up. Dad's entire life was about making people happy. This is not an exaggeration or euphemism: it was his actual self-admitted goal. Nothing made him happier than greeting people. These past few nights, when I bolt up in bed, I'm surrounded by images of my own childhood. I've always felt cheated that one of our grandfathers passed away before we were born, and the other passed at a very early age for Ronnie and I. Unfortunately, history now has repeated itself. But this time, when I become the father and my child asks What was your father like? I know what I'll say, it will be: Look at all these people around you all these family and friends, all the people who knew dad, and the incredible bonds between them. We're like a giant jigsaw puzzle which fits together so tightly, that when you remove one piece, you can still see its outline in the empty space. All of the love dad left behind, the relationships he nurtured they define his legacy. And even though you can't see him doesn't mean he's not here. You can still see him and feel him. And still, every morning, miraculously, the sun keeps coming up.