Funeral Services for James Baxter Hester, 82, of Brownfield will be held at 2pm on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at Brownfield Church of Christ. Visitation will be held from 5-7pm on Friday, September 11, 2026 at Brownfield Funeral Home.

James Baxter "Jim" Hester, 82, of Brownfield, Texas, passed away on the morning of September 10, 2026, surrounded by his wife and four daughters. Jim was born December 2, 1943, in Needmore, Texas, to Royce and Oleta Hester. He attended Meadow School, where many of the stories he would spend the rest of his life telling began. He grew up farming and worked in agriculture before beginning a career in insurance. Jim worked for many years as an insurance adjuster, an occupation that supplied him with no shortage of stories, before eventually becoming a crop insurance agent. He went on to start his own crop insurance business in Brownfield, where his daughters worked alongside him at different times throughout the years until his retirement. Jim married Sherry on June 11, 1965, and the two shared 61 years of marriage. He loved Sherry dearly and rarely passed up the opportunity to give her a hard time, always with a smile and out of affection. Jim was a longtime and active member of the Brownfield Church of Christ. His faith was deeply important to him, and he loved a good conversation about faith, politics, or just about anything else that might keep someone sitting and talking with him for a while. Those who knew Jim will especially remember his sense of humor and his stories. Whether he was talking about his days at Meadow School, his years adjusting insurance claims, or one of the many adventures involving his family, Jim could keep a room entertained for hours. When he wasn't telling stories, he could often be found in his recliner listening to music. To his grandchildren, he was simply "Bumpy." He was especially close to his family, and despite having a large one, he had a way of making each of his grandchildren know just how deeply they were loved. He was preceded in death by his parents, Royce and Oleta Hester, with whom he shared a close and loving relationship.

Jim is survived by his wife, Sherry Hester; his four daughters, Kim Boswell and husband Eric, Shelli Thompson and husband Bryan, Tosha Bell and husband Steven, and Holly Churchwell and husband Bruce; 10 grandchildren, Blake, Brandon and Brett Boswell, Bryce and Brock Thompson, Hunter and Houston Bell, and Kynlee, Tate and Knox Churchwell; seven great-grandchildren; and his younger brother, Jerry Hester.

Jim leaves behind a family who loved him dearly, a lifetime's worth of stories, and plenty of people who will continue telling them.

**Obituary written by family**