Freestone County, Texas
Obituaries


[This is James Rodger Sessions, Jr.]


Ex-sheriff memorial set
J.R. “Sonny” Sessions . . .

J.R. SESSIONS, JR. 

Graveside services were conducted Saturday afternoon at Woodland Cemetery in 
Kirvin for retired Freestone county Sheriff J.R. “Sonny” Sessions, Jr.

Sheriff Sessions, 83, died Saturday morning at his home and, per his wishes, 
was buried the same day with Jay Fraze of Wortham officiating.

A memorial service is set for 11 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church of 
Fairfield.

Sessions, a fourth generation Texas sheriff, served 36 years as top law 
enforcement officer in Freestone county and served the profession in a number 
of state posts.

A great-grandfather, Anthony Sharp was Limestone county sheriff from 1861-65, 
great-grandfather James B. Rogers was murdered in 1872 while serving as 
Freestone county sheriff and his father, J.R. Sessions, Sr., was Freestone 
county sheriff from 1931-49.

Born Nov. 26, 1926, in Kirvin, the sheriff graduated high school in 1944 and 
joined the navy, serving in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War 
II.

He attended Texas A&M University one year, graduated Navarro College and joined 
his mother, Thelma Sessions, in the family ranching operation on the death of 
his father.

The sheriff was first elected in 1964 and served through 2000, the longest 
tenure in that office in Freestone county.

In 1968 he began writing a weekly newspaper column, the “Sheriff’s Report,” 
that chronicled activities of the department written in an inimitable style and 
appearing until his retirement in The Fairfield Recorder. Over the years, the 
column was the subject of a few television specials.

The column was continued by Sheriff Ralph Billings after he succeeded Sessions 
in office in 2001.

Sheriff Sessions served as president of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas in 
1988-89, a term during which he attended meet- ings of statewide law enforcement 
groups, the National Sheriff’s Association annual meeting, followed bills 
proposed in the Texas Legislature and worked on the purchase of a permanent 
headquarters building in Austin for the state organization.

For his service as president of the state organization, the sheriff received a 
nickle plated, 38-caliber revolver as part of the “Bill Decker Award” given the 
outgoing president and was made a life member in the association.

The sheriff also served on the drug prevention and enforcement committee of the 
national sheriff’s organization, and on several standing state association 
committees.

In 1986, he was appointed by Gov. Mark White to a 6-year term as a commissioner 
on the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education.

A member of Cotton Gin Lodge 154 in Kirvin, the sheriff served as Master and 
secretary of the lodge, District Deputy Grand Master of the 22nd Masonic 
District and received a lifetime membership endowment in the Cotton Gin Lodge.

Sheriff Sessions was actively involved in Freestone County Historical Commission 
and was a charter member of Wilbur F. Bailey VFW Post 5872 in Fairfield.

The sheriff is survived by his wife, the former Peggy Sue Isaacks; a brother, 
Kenneth B. Sessions; three sons, Hammond Sessions and wife Karla of Fairfield, 
James Sessions and wife Lori of Kirvin and Ken Sessions and wife Tina of Kirvin; 
18 grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents and three sisters, Carolyn Kirgan, Leah 
Eubank and Sarah Younger.