WESSLEEN JAMES

Wessleen Brasfield was born on February 1, 1938 in San Antonio, TX to the late Aaron Brasfield, Sr.and Alta Faye Stewart Brasfield and raised in Gonzales, TX.  She professed her love for Christ at a young age and joined Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Rev. S.H. Bedford.

As the second oldest of seven children, Wessleen was the “mother hen” of the family and would frequently drive her siblings to their various activities and ensured they returned home safely and never hesitated to let their parents know if someone had misbehaved!  

Despite caring for her younger siblings, Wessleen participated in several extracurricular activities, namely as a member of the Pep Squad and girls’ basketball team.  Always an excellent student, Wessleen skipped a grade and graduated at the age of 17 in 1953 from Edwards High School.

Not long after, she met Haywood Leon James from nearby Waelder, an Air Force Airman who was visiting the “big city” of Gonzales while home on leave from England.  For two years, he and Wessleen regularly corresponded and when he returned home from England in 1958, he and Wessleen married that December.

They frequently opened their home for friends and family to stay with them for extended periods of time.  It was during those times that Wessleen’s gentle spirit and caring nature were always evident.  As a military wife and mother, Wessleen’s sacrifices, selflessness, quiet and gentle spirit, and nurturing nature were always evident.  When Haywood retired from the Air Force in 1977, the family settled in San Antonio and joined Coliseum Park Baptist Church (CPBC) under the leadership of Rev. Lemuel Smith who had, coincidentally, married them. While at Coliseum, Wessleen served as a member of the Usher Board, taught Sunday School, and volunteered on several committees.  After Haywood’s death in 2012, she united with New Covenant Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Paul D. Stevens, Sr.  

Wessleen personified the Proverbs 31 woman. She supported her husband and was a regular presence at her daughters’ schools throughout college. She enjoyed working with young people and served as a Cub Scout Den Mother and a long-time substitute teacher at Sam Houston High School.  Wessleen also loved to bake (her peach cobbler and pound cakes were delicious) and was an excellent seamstress.

 Wessleen’s role as “MeeMaw” was one she cherished. She doted on her grandchildren – Sydney Imani and Kendall James:  babysitting without hesitation when they were younger, taking them to the zoo and museums, baking their favorite desserts, attending extracurricular and special events, and always making them laugh.  As Sydney and Kendall grew older, Wessleen was MeeMaw to their friends. 

Wessleen’s love of travel, family, and laughter were legendary.  As the unofficial family historian, you could count on her to have a camera present at all family functions and her photo albums documented every moment, while her unique way of recounting a story always resulted in amusement.  

In the last months of her life, Wessleen remained the gracious and regal woman she had always been and still imparted words of wisdom to her loved ones.  She leaves to cherish her

the following:  two daughters, Felicia J. Scott, PhD. (Cypress) and Nicole L. James (San Antonio) and two grandchildren, Sydney and Kendall Scott (Cypress) as well as five siblings—Kathleen Ellis (Joe), Clarese Thornton, William Brasfield, Sr., Aaron Brasfield, Jr. (Alma Jean) and Ida Mae Jones (C.L.) as well as a host of nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents Aaron and Alta Faye Brasfield, husband Haywood L. James, and one brother, Leonard Roy Brasfield