James Webb

James, known to family and friends as “Lil Buddy,” went home to the Lord on Friday, October 20, 2023. James was born on June 14, 1927, in Tunica Hills, LA, to the union of James Harper Webb and Francina Grimes Webb. James Harper adopted Bertha Russell, and Francina had one son, Robert Hampton, from a previous union. James Harper and Francina had five children: Howard, James, Otis, Wilhelmeana (Nettie) and Edward.

James met his future wife, Eliza Ann Collins, as a young child in Tunica Hills, where they both grew up, and they married on August 22, 1945. They have three children, Augustine, James Jr., and Mark.

James attended school in Tunica Hills, New Orleans and Chicago, IL. He dropped out of school like a lot of young men his age did. Seeing an opportunity for steady employment, he lied about his age and enlisted in the United States Navy towards the end of World War II.

James was deeply impressed with the knowledge and power a Chief Petty Officer has over his men and women, and he decided immediately that he wanted to become a Chief Petty Officer, too. Because he dropped out of school, his formal education was limited. He knew that if he expected to ever be a Chief Petty Officer, he had to go back to school, so he did.

Night school was available at most of the state-side duty stations to which he was assigned, so he went to night school whenever possible. He took whatever classes the Chief in charge allowed him to take during the day, and he also attended evening classes off base to increase his knowledge level.

James joined the Navy before President Truman integrated the Armed Forces, allowing everyone the opportunity to hold and perform in jobs they were qualified for regardless of race. His first job in the Navy was an Officer’s Steward, where he was a butler for officers on the ship, and Kitchen Patrol, where he was responsible for meal preparations as well as washing pots and pans.

In the Navy, there are many ships stationed at many bases with a lot of departments or duty assignments that enable the ships to operate. Larger ships have restaurants called The Galley, and every department sends workers to help The Galley prepare food and other tasks. These apprenticeships are known as Temporary Additional Duty (TAD) assignments, and they typically lasted for three months.

After World War II ended, James was not satisfied with working as a steward and in the kitchens and could not get transferred elsewhere, so he decided to leave the Navy, one of three breaks in his military service, and do construction work as a civilian instead. He realized that job was not a good fit either when an accident with a scaffolding left a couple of workers dead and him hanging several stories above ground, too scared to even cry out for help until his fellow workers found him and came to his aid.

James decided to return to the Navy, where he put more effort into night classes and working with his superiors in order to advance in his naval career. In the 1950s, he was able to become a member of the Sea Bees in the Construction Battalion, where he added to his knowledge of carpentry, auto mechanics and operation of large construction earth moving equipment.

He served his country during World War II, the Korean Conflict, four tours of duty during the Vietnam Conflict as well as all over the United States, Canada and the South Pacific during peacetime. He achieved his dream of becoming a Chief Petty Officer and received several awards for his military service and combat action. James also acquired his high school diploma and two years of college education during his service.

After serving at many duty stations, James was transferred back to the Navy Amphibious Base in San Diego, CA. This was his first and last duty station. He retired from the Navy after nearly 30 years of service in 1975.

James mentored his employees with the following advice: “I say to the young men and women enlisted in the Navy: you may not get all you want out of life, but with a little effort, you will be surprised at the result of your achievements. Set a goal and work at it.”

Though he retired from the Navy in 1975 and moved to New Orleans, he did not stop working. He sold vegetables, drove New Orleans city buses, and owned and operated a tractor trailer for short- and long-haul transport of goods. He was also a business owner, running a successful hair salon and beauty supply store with his wife Eliza, who was a licensed beautician. In his later years, James had plans to start his own chicken farm and even a church.

Though they traveled a lot for the Navy, James and Eliza established a home in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, where they ran their business and spent time with their family. They were still running the business when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Their homes and business were destroyed by the flooding resulting from the hurricane.

After a short stay with their daughter Augustine and son-in-law Thomas Twyman in Virginia, James and Eliza relocated to Baton Rouge, LA, in 2006, which was close to home but far away enough to feel safe from future flooding.

James was a long-time member of James Chapel Baptist Church in New Orleans, and he enjoyed Sunday School. He attended churches in Baton Rouge, but always considered James Chapel to be his home church. He read the Bible daily until his eyesight diminished, and he watched sermons on television every Sunday. He was baptized at James Chapel in 2010.

James was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings, his wife, and his first grandson, Alec James Dempsey. He is survived by his daughter Augustine Twyman and her husband Thomas, his son James Webb Jr. and his wife Ruby, his son Mark Webb and his wife Ivory, his grandson James Webb III and his wife Neeta, his granddaughter Jamie Webb, his granddaughter-in-law Mary Fell, his great-grandchildren Israel, Malik and Sasha Dempsey and Maia Webb, and many cousins, nieces, nephews and special friends.

Funeral services for James will be held November 10, 2023, at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home & Cemeteries, located at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in New Orleans. Visitation will start at 9 a.m., with the service following at 11 a.m., led by Rev. Herman Brown of James Chapel Baptist Church. Interment will be at All Saints Mausoleum in Metairie Cemetery. Repast will follow at Le Pavillon Hotel, located at 833 Poydras St. in New Orleans, from 1-4 p.m.