Karnes Co. TX - OBITUARIES - April 2007



This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Kimm

Antell



Copyright.  All rights reserved.

http://files.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm



************************************************



All obituaries are copyright 2006 Victoria Advocate Online unless

otherwise noted.

(http://victoriaadvocate.com)



From mysanantonio.com



April 1, 2007



Obituary: Model A's were more than hobby to Pegues  



Carmina Danini

Express-News 



In 1965, James "Jim" Pegues bought his first Model A Ford from a

farmer in the Karnes County town of Runge. 

The roadster cost him $30. He fixed it up and sold it, then bought a

four-door sedan he restored to perfect condition. 



One year, he bought 11 Model A's. 



Pegues was a charter member of the Alamo A's, the Model A Ford Club

of San Antonio. Grandson and namesake Jimmy Taylor is the current

president. 



To say Pegues, who died Saturday at age 84 of cancer, was a Model A

enthusiast is an understatement. 



"Jim drove one in high school and he just loved it," his wife,

Jeanette Pegues, said. "He'd always wanted one and after he bought

the first one, it became a wonderful hobby for all of us." 



Sometimes called "America's favorite car," the Model A replaced

Henry Ford's beloved Model T in 1927. 



The cars were produced until 1931, when the Model B was introduced. 



The Model A had a lot going for it: It had a top speed of 60 mph

compared with the Model T's 45 mph, larger wheels, four-wheel

mechanical brakes, a Triplex shatter-proof windshield, and it came in

different colors. 



Pegues' hobby was taken up by his family. His wife drove the cars;

so did his daughters. The family drove the cars all over the United

States, totaling more than 100,000 miles. 



The Model A was far from his mind in 1939 when Pegues joined the

Navy. He was asleep at the YMCA when Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec.

7, 1941. 



"He said the message 'We're under attack' came over loudspeakers

with instructions to return to their ships," Jeanette Pegues said.

"Everybody was in their underwear trying to get a cab. He never made

it back to his ship because it pulled out." 



His best friend was killed. Pegues suffered shrapnel wounds on his

legs. 



Later, he served on the staff of Admiral Chester Nimitz, the

Fredericksburg native and commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet

during the war. 



A background in photography got Pegues into the New York Institute

of Photography after the war. 



He returned home, worked at a photography studio, then was hired at

Southwestern Bell, where he remained for 25 years. 



Pegues had to travel because of his job and it gave him time to

search for cars. 



"He'd call and say, 'Guess what I found today,'" Jeanette Pegues

said. "It was scary but so much fun." 



JAMES D. PEGUES  



Born: June 11, 1922, in San Antonio 



Died: March 31, 2007, in San Antonio 



Military: U.S. Navy, 1939-1943 



Survived by: His wife of 58 years, Jeanette Gittinger Pegues; three

daughters, Deborah Taylor, of New Braunfels, and Sherry Westmoreland

and Patty Nowak, both of San Antonio; a sister, Jeannette Pegues

Dobson of Kerrville; seven grandchildren; and eight great-

grandchildren. 



Services: Visitation from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. today at Mission Park

Funeral Chapels North at 3401 Cherry Ridge Drive; service at 11:30

a.m. Tuesday at Shepherd King Lutheran Church at 303 W. Ramsey Road,

with interment in Mission Burial Park South. 



Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Vitas

Hospice or to Shepherd King Lutheran Church.