Mary Ann James' Obituary
Mary Ann (Jacobson) James received her Heavenly reward on Monday, January 26, 2026, in Beaumont, Texas, at the age of 90 years and six months. Mary Ann was born on July 29, 1935, in Trego, Wisconsin, to Chauncey Jacobson and Dorothy Smith Jacobson.
Mary Ann met the love of her life, Lynwood Bolton James in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was attending Apostolic Bible Institute College (ABI), and they were united in marriage on May 28, 1955. Mary Ann was a faithful and devoted wife for sixty-two years, a wonderful mother to four children, and a lifelong, faithful Apostolic Pentecostal church member.
Her life was marked by unwavering faith, daily prayer, and consistent Bible reading. She faithfully served the Lord as a children’s choir leader and loved working with children, operating a daycare for over twenty years. She was an accomplished ventriloquist who taught Sunday School using her beloved puppet, Danny, making lessons joyful and memorable for many children.
Mary Ann had many talents and interests. She loved fishing and proudly won the Trego fishing contest for catching the biggest German Brown Trout. She was a gifted artist who painted many beautiful oil paintings that will be forever cherished by her family and also served as a Cub Scout troop leader, organizing numerous activities and parties for her troop.
A dedicated homemaker, Mary Ann lovingly cooked the wild game her sons brought home from their hunting adventures, including some of the most unusual dishes—rattlesnake, water moccasin, and even armadillo. She was an excellent seamstress, sewing clothes for her children, costumes for plays, and even helping one son sew a raccoon skinned hat. She was also a wonderful cook, well known for her homemade pizza, Swedish pancakes, and her famous “boy-cheese” and “girl-cheese” (grilled cheese) sandwiches made especially for her grandchildren.
Mary Ann poured her whole heart into making meaningful memories for her family and friends, leaving behind a legacy of love, service, creativity, and faith in God.
Mary Ann is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Lynwood Bolton James; her parents, Chauncey and Dorothy Jacobson; two sisters, Genevieve (Jacobson) Fye and Elizabeth (Jacobson) Wileman; three brothers, Henry, Harold, and Ray Jacobson; and her precious granddaughter, Lauryn Louise James.
She leaves behind her four beloved children: Damon James and wife Rhonda; Darwin Paul James and wife Jessica; David Scott James and wife Melissa; and Deborah Ann (James) Stephenson and husband Marshall. She is also survived by her most treasured thirteen grandchildren: Nicole Cheree’ (James) Ramirez and husband Thomas; Dylan Paul James and wife Kayli; Logan Scott James and wife Kylie; Kaitlyn Ann (James) McFarland and husband Bryson; Ian James and wife Emily; Lyndsie Renee (James) Williamson and husband Colter; Lexie Elizabeth (James) Fillmer and husband Michael; Victoria Diann Stephenson; Luke Benjamin James; Chavis Marshall Stephenson and wife Elyana; Alisa Wei; Alex Wei; and twenty-one wonderful great-grandchildren.
Though she will be deeply missed, her family rejoices in the blessed assurance that Mary Ann is at rest in the presence of her Lord and Savior, reunited with loved ones and rewarded for a life faithfully lived.
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