Freestone County, Texas
Obituaries


James Wendell McIlveen
June 15, 1944 to September 13, 2013
 
James Wendell McIlveen’s life on earth came to an end on Friday, September 13, 
2013. With mixed emotions, family and friends are reminiscing his extraordinary 
life and legacy. On one hand, they are naturally grieved to be separated from his 
winning personality and witty sense of humor. However, on the other hand, they 
rejoice because he is now absent from the body and present with the LORD. “Mac,” 
as he was affectionately known, has met his Savior face-to-face and is now 
reunited with his daughter, Chelsea Duan McIlveen; his sons, Gerald and Adrian 
Lewis; his parents, Milford and Eva Lois McIlveen; grandmother, Minnie Manning 
Dorham; and other loved ones who transitioned before him. Befittingly, we 
celebrate his homegoing today.

Mac lived a full, bold, and productive life. Though, in recent years, his health 
was compromised, his spirit remained high. Not one to complain, he approached 
every day with joyful thanksgiving. Even in the midst of sickness, he persevered 
with gentlemanly grace and quiet dignity. He was a “people’s person" and a 
"Man’s Man."

Mac was born in Fairfield, Texas on June 15, 1944. He graduated from Dogan High 
School in Fairfield in 1962 and attended Cisco Junior College in Cisco, Texas on 
a basketball scholarship. Upon graduating from Cisco, he continued his studies 
at Texas Southern University in Houston until his senior year when he was called 
to active military duty in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Upon his return 
from Vietnam, Mac further pursued his education at Syracuse University in New 
York, completing his training in the field of Hotel and Restaurant Management. 
He demonstrated his outstanding hospitality and management skills during 
employment at North Carolina University; Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida; 
Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California; and as Southeast Regional Director 
for Holiday Inn, Inc., where he and his pilot daily covered his territory in his 
private corporate plane. He completed his industrious career in the hospitality 
industry as the Food and Beverage Director for the Galvez Hotel in Galveston. 

Mac was also an astute entrepreneur. He founded the first on-site movie/television 
production food service company, Cinema Chef, serving such actors and casts as 
Tom Selleck, The Facts of Life, and The Jeffersons. He also formed Gulf Coast 
Parcel Co., where he became a process server for the Galveston County Courts. 
There he was instrumental in publicizing the then little known fact that two of 
America’s black heroes, Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, were 
minted on U.S. coins. He used his talents to wed the two pictures and coins into 
an art concept that was presented and purchased at the 1991 NAACP convention in 
Houston. 

Being civic-minded, grateful for, and profoundly touched by those who had 
impacted his life, Mac was compelled to pay tribute to a man, who, in addition 
to his father, taught him much about what it meant to be a man of hard work, 
honor, dedication, and commitment. Thus, in 1999, he founded the Ike Carden Rodeo 
Association purposed to provide scholarships for students from the local 
communities. For 13 years, this first black rodeo event in the City of Fairfield 
raised in excess of $50,000 and awarded scholarships to 43 students, his way of 
being a blessing to others for the many blessings he had received. 

A vociferous reader of the Bible, Mac was quick to engage in hours of conversation 
around the Word of God, demonstrating the knowledge and spiritual growth that 
began with the foundation he received while growing up in Jones Chapel United 
Methodist Church. He was always eager to share his interpretation of Scripture 
and would stand firmly on his understanding (right or wrong) during spirited 
dialogue with family members and friends, particularly his cousin Clifford.

Additionally, Mac enjoyed a life of adventure and travel. His excursions to 
Canada, Alaska, Malaysia, India and other exciting places included bow and arrow 
deer hunting, fishing, skiing, boating, golfing, and even skydiving.

Survived By:
Barbara Malone and husband Lewis , Sister
Dr. Carolyn Yarbro Smith and James, Sister
Deanna Moore and husband Joseph, Daughter
Nikki Thomas, Daughter
Brandon McIlveen, Kyle, Kristofer, Kevin, and Kelvin Moore, and Nate Washington, Grandchildren
Charleigh Blaine McIlveen, Kaiden Moore, Jaiden (Akiyama) Moore, and Nila Washington, Great grandchildren
and A Host of Family and Friends

Preceded in Death By:
Milford McIlveen, Father
Eva Lois McIlveen, Mother
Minnie Manning Dorham, Grandmother
Gerald Lewis, Son
Adrian Lewis, Son
Chelsea Duan McIlveen, Daughter