James Herbert Black departed this life at 3:38 pm, November 15, 2010. He was born December 7, 1933 in Loraine, Texas. He was the son of Minnie Carline Chamness and Silas Lafayette Black. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Jenna Lee and Mary Helen, and brother Harold Ray. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Dorothy and his children Michael Wayne, of Terlingua, daughters Laura Kay Fornos, Patti Black (Steve Mazurek), Stephanie Alane, of San Antonio.
He went to school in Monahan and Fort Davis. He had many fond memories of those years. In 1950 he lost his mother to cancer and was raised by his Aunt and Uncle Bill and Faye Miller of Colorado City, Texas. His Uncle Bill taught him how to make knives and James made many beautiful replicas of Bowie knives and fashioned the handles from deer antlers. There were few things he couldn’t master. For example, he taught himself to weld and created six - foot candelabras in the shape of the Alamo. These were a gift to the Alamo and are now used in candlelight ceremonies.
His loved music, and as a true son of West Texas, he was a fan of Lefty Frizzell. James had a large record collection. A talented musician himself, he had a beautiful voice and was a talented guitarist. James left school at age 16 and set out on his own. He broke horses and worked as a roughneck in the west Texas oil fields. His deep love of West Texas remained with him throughout his life. Folks smiled at the bumper sticker on his truck “I brake for horny toads.”
He joined the Air Force in 1953. Following basic training at Lackland AFB, he was then stationed at Kelly AFB, San Antonio, Texas. He was an aircraft flight mechanic and flew for five years on C124 cargo planes. He served in Vietnam from 1969 - 1970.
In 1954, he met his wife of 54 years Dorothy Reed. They married April 15, 1956 in Geronimo, Texas. Together, they reared their four children in San Antonio, Panama, and Arkansas. The family drove to Panama in 1972; a great adventure. They returned, settling in San Antonio in 1976 for good. Visitation will be 1 hour prior to the service. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at Sunset Funeral Chapel with Reverend Charles Lewis officiating. Interment will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors.
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