James Newsome

James Newsome was born in the rural portion of Prentiss, Mississippi on August 17, 1943, and was the second of four sons born to his mother, Azzie Newsome. Their extended family lived on the farm his grandfather worked as a sharecropper. Although they did not have many things, materially speaking, they lived close to the land and savored the flavors of fresh produce that they grew or bartered for trade with other farmers. Growing up in this environment, James learned early on the value of working hard as even young children were expected to help out and had an important role to play in accomplishing the work for the day. When they walked to school, they dropped off the cows at the field and brought them home again at the end of the day.

The family moved to Monrovia, California when James was in elementary school, and the adjustment from a rural lifestyle to the city life city one was a significant one for the family. James started working at a young age in order to assist the family financially while he continued his education. He graduated from Monrovia High School in 1962 and graduated from Los Angeles Trade Technical College with an AS degree.

James worked in the trucking industry for 30years, working for a number of companies, including Pepsi Cola (where he picked up his Pepsi “addiction”) and retired from Jet Star, where he was known for his efficiency, as well as his friendly, straightforward manner and his amazing sense of humor. He was a trusted and loyal friend to many, in addition to being a co-worker.

James entire life was devoted to his family and he is survived by his loving wife, Karen, and children, David, Lynita, Nathan, Darnell, Michael and Daniel, as well as his 4 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. We are so grateful to God for having you in our lives and we will miss you deeply.