James Upshaw Obituary

James Edward Upshaw was the only child of James Garland Upshaw and Mattie Louise Thompson Upshaw. He was born on April 10, 1942 in Taylor, Louisiana. After a lengthy and courageous battle with heart failure, he moved home to Heaven to be with his Lord, on May 1, 2023 in League City, Texas, at the age of 81. James spent his childhood in poverty. His parents were divorced early in his life, and when he was 7 years old his mother sent him to live with his Uncle in Pineville, Louisiana, because she couldn't afford to take care of him. James' mother brought him to Houston when he was 12, where he attended Johnson Junior High. James had no idea that there was a pretty little girl in the same grade at Johnson who would later grow up to become his wife. When he finished Junior High School, James moved up to Lamar High School, but had to drop out of school in the 10 grade to help support his mother. In May of 1964 he finally met Sandra Joan Stokes in a restaurant where she was working, and it was love at first sight. They were married on December 5, 1964, and were married for almost 60 years. James adored his wife and he always believed he had married above his privilege. Together, they had a son, Michael, and 3 years later they welcomed a daughter, Lisa. James may have started his life in poverty and only had a 10 grade education, but, in March of 1972, something happened that would eternally change his life and would enable James to become a very prominent businessman. In the Spring of 1972, he gave his heart and life to Jesus, and nothing was ever the same for him again. James always said that the successes he had in life all happened after March 1972. James went on to become a Real Estate Agent and later a Broker. He was named top agent and number one in sales for several years running. In 1979, he started a Bail Bonding Company with his partner and friend, John Polk. When he finally retired in 2012, he had earned the respect and admiration of every judge in Harris County. James loved to fish, hunt, and travel, but the most important things in James' life were his faith, his family, his friends, and his church. He was a big man, with a big heart, who cared about, and wanted to help those who, like himself, had made some poor choices early on in life, James is preceded in death by his parents, James and Mattie Upshaw, and his son, Michael. He is survived by his wife, Sandy; his daughter, Lisa Upshaw; his beloved grandson, Justin Taylor, and a host of cousins. His family extends a heartfelt thanks to Dr. James Muntz; Dr. Kevin Lisnam; and Dr. Paul Schultz, as well as the staff at Baywind for their kind and compassionate care during these difficult days. A celebration of James' life will be held at 11:00am Saturday, May 13 , at in the Worship Center, 11300 South Sam Houston Parkway East, Houston 77089. There will be a visitation at 10:00am, prior to the service. Your flowers are welcomed, but memorial contributions in James' name may also be made to Sagemont Church's " . A private burial will be held at a later date.