James Patrick Steddum, 60, passed away on August 27, 2024, at home and surrounded by his wife and children.

James was born on October 1, 1963, to James William Steddum and Joan (Hooper) Steddum. James was the youngest of three rambunctious boys. His brothers, Danny and Mike, took a special interest in toughening up their sweet baby brother, gifting James an ornery wit that would be a lifelong sign of his affection. James’ curiosity and craftiness was apparent even at a young age, when he would disassemble and repair the family’s home appliances. At Henderson High School, James took to running with the self-styled, “Dirty White Boys,” who somehow managed to finish their classes between doing tire burnouts and blasting Foreigner music in the high school parking lot.

At the American Legion of Henderson on December 17, 1982, James looked up from his pool cue and first set eyes on the love of his life, Donna. After sharing a dance and a tequila sunrise, Donna was smitten with James’ dreamy eyes and easy swagger. Donna’s friends and family were naturally skeptical of his rakish reputation, but eventually James won them over with his tenderness and care for Donna. On July 21, 1984, James and Donna were joined together in holy matrimony. James whisked Donna away on a one-night honeymoon at the newlywed suite of the Longview Best Western - freshly updated with a bathtub jacuzzi and a topped-off waterbed. 

As the young couple settled into marriage, James began another relationship similar in longevity - but maybe not always in blissfulness. A week after his marriage, he started a new job as an electrician at the Henderson Clay Brick Plant. This was the beginning of a 39-year career in the brick industry that would see James progress through nearly every role in the brickyard. Early in his career, while working full time and raising four children with Donna, James attended night school and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. His hard work, skillfulness, and tenacity led James to rise as high as Corporate Engineer before retirement. While James could fix nearly anything in the brickyard, his real passion was building up the other men and women alongside him. Throughout his career, his personable and generous nature turned colleagues into lifelong friends at Boral, Acme, Glen Gery, and Red River Brick.

While James’ career and family grew, so did his faith. James accepted Jesus Christ into his heart at the age of 13, and rededicated himself at 19. When his youngest daughter told him she was ready to be baptized, James realized he was long overdue and joined her. James was an active member of several church communities over the years, and led a Bible study small group from his living room for nearly a decade. His personification of Christian values brought many close friends and coworkers to Jesus Christ.

James is survived by his wife of 40 years, Donna (Florence) Steddum, his son Jacob Steddum, daughter Fay Steddum, son Daniel Steddum, daughter and son-in-law Joanie Steddum Mink and Jedidiah Mink, brother and sister-in-law Danny Steddum and Esther (Hickman) Steddum, and father-in-law Walter Florence. Many of the best parts of him live on in his children. James passed on a love of the natural world through countless camping trips and cultivating tomatoes in the backyard. He also enjoyed the thrill of traveling to new places, horseback riding, and motorcycle touring, which instilled in his children an adventurous spirit. James was always learning and trying new things, and later in life he flexed his artistic abilities by taking up sketching and painting. He encouraged his children to hone all the gifts and talents he passed on to them, but try as they might, they never could quite outfish him.

A memorial service for James Steddum will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, August 31, at Laird Hill Baptist Church, 12392 Co Rd 172A, Laird Hill, Texas. The family will receive visitors at the family home after the memorial service and on Sunday, September 1. Flowers can be sent to the family home.