James Carey Chandler Sr.

James Carey Chandler, Sr. died in Austin, TX on November 22nd at age 96. He was born in Houston, Texas on March 10, 1925. His family moved from Houston to Crockett and then to Nacogdoches where he spent most of his youth. James was 18 when he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1943. After boot camp in San, Diego James was assigned to the newly formed First Armored Amphibian Battalion and was overseas with this unit until it was deactivated in December 1945. The First Armored was a first-wave assault battalion that led the way in three major island invasions: the Marshall Islands, Guam, and Okinawa. For the Marshall Islands invasion, he was a machine gunner, in Guam he was the turret gunner, and on Okinawa, he was the tank commander. The First Armored was selected to spearhead the invasion of Japan on November 1, 1945, and they were briefed on the mission. As they prepared to leave Saipan for the invasion atom bombs were dropped on Japan, ending WWII. James was discharged 5 Dec 1945 with the rank of Corporal.

James started in the newspaper business at age 11 when he got a job at the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel.  After the war, he worked for the Bryan Daily Eagle, where he met Beuna Marie Yoder. They were married in January 1948 and moved to Austin in January 1950, where he worked for the Austin American Statesman for 22 years. He worked as a printer and in the composing room then was promoted into management. Over 11 years he developed three new departments for the newspaper, Dispatch, Promotion, and, most notably, the Newspaper in the Classroom program. Subsequently, he was the Membership Director for The Texas Classroom Teachers Assn. for 15 years. That was followed by a third career in insurance sales until he retired in 1994.

James and Beuna started trailering in 1971 and continued until 2006, with most of their summers spent in Gunnison, CO. Over the years they made many friends in Gunnison. James was an avid member of the Blue Mesa Four-Wheel Club. Following the death of Beuna in 2009 after 61 years of marriage, James married Barbara Bowman, a longtime friend. They gave each other 8 1/2 years of love and companionship until Barbara’s death in 2019.

He was predeceased by his father, Lonnie Franklin Chandler; his mother, Mary E. Melton Chandler; his brother, Marion Franklin Chandler; his wife of 61 years, (Beuna Marie Yoder Chandler), and his second wife, (Barbara Bowman Chandler). He was also predeceased by his sister-in-law Betty Yoder Jaye (Fred Jaye); brother-in-law- J. R. “Buddy” Yoder; sisters-in-law Helen Yoder Hannah, and Motsy Yoder Schlieker (Milton Schlieker). He is survived by his three sons and daughters-in-law; James Carey Chandler, Jr. and wife Ana of Ft. Davis; Dr. Thomas Y. Chandler and wife Dr. Michele McDermott of Austin; John Vann Chandler (Sama) of Ft. Worth; five grandchildren, Gabriela Rios of Austin; Damon and Devon Chandler of Austin; Vann Chandler of Lubbock; and Zachary Chandler (Vivian) of Columbus, Mississippi. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Grace Yoder of Weimar, and by numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank his neighbor and best friend of 55 years, Gary Roberts, for his compassion and boundless generosity.

As I leave, I want to remind you that:

Youth is not a time of life–it is a state of mind.

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt;

As young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear;

As young as your hope, as old as your despair.

For all Marines ---- Semper Fi — I love you Marines

And finally, for all of my friends, old and new, I want you to remember that “I ain’t never had a bad day”.

A viewing and memorial service will be held at St. John's Methodist Church, 2140 Allandale Rd. on December 10th at 1:00 pm. The Burial will be at the Masonic Cemetery, Hwy 90, Weimar, TX on December 11th at noon. The services will be officiated by Reverend Hilary Marchbanks and Reverend Ralph Underwood.

Please, no flowers. Contributions may be made to St. John's Methodist Church or your favorite charity.