James “Jim” Willis, Jr.

James “Jim” Willis, Jr., 85, of Nederland, passed away Sunday, September 10, 2017. He was born in Port Arthur on September 23, 1931 to James A. Willis, Sr. and Pearl C. York. He lived in the area his entire life and was a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School. He joined the Marine Corps after school and reached the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 1954, he met and married his loving wife Patsy. He started working at Gulf Oil in 1956 in the Labor Gang. He held the titles Draftsman, Design Engineer and Section Head while he was at Gulf and later Chevron. Jim enjoyed fishing, hunting, and spending time with his family. He loved working with his hands and was an excellent carpenter who could build anything. He was an active member of Nederland Avenue Church of Christ.

Survivors include his son, Henry Willis, of Nederland; daughters, Karen Fontenot and her husband, Kevin, of Port Acres and Tammy Gamez and her husband, Mario, of Nederland; grandchildren, Jeremy Myers, Katie Paredes, Mark Willis, Jr., Misty Womack, Alana Lambert, Toni Gamez, and Isaac Gamez; great-grandchildren, Fianna, Brayden, Madison, Avery, Marcus, Savannah, and Alexander; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; son, Mark Willis, Sr.; great-granddaughter, Alexandra Wright; and sister, Alta Beasley.

A gathering of Mr. Willis’ family and friends will begin at 12:00 p.m., with his funeral service to follow at 2:00 p.m., Friday, September 15, 2017, at Broussard’s, 505 North 12th Street, Nederland. His interment will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park, Groves.

Memorial contributions for Mr. Willis may be made to Nederland Church of Christ Mexico Ministry, 2310 Nederland Avenue, Nederland Texas 77627.