James Paul Estetter

James Paul Estetter of Highlands, passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on the evening of Tuesday, May 9, 2023, surrounded by his wife and daughters.  Jimmy, as he was known by his friends and family, was born on October 9, 1935 in Highlands to Agnes and J.D. Estetter.  He and his wife of 66 years, Sally, were lifelong residents of Highlands.

Jimmy graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown in 1953 and soon after joined Bricklayers Local #7.  He started his career as a masonry supervisor in the 1960’s with United Masonry and worked for many other masonry companies before retiring in 2000. 

During his career, he was a supervisor or foreman on various buildings that many people will recognize, such as football stadiums (Baytown Stallworth, Deer Park, Aldine), schools (Friendswood High, Pumphrey Elementary, Baytown Sterling, Humble, Klein, San Jacinto College), the Texas A&M Biology & Chemistry Buildings in College Station and several Houston area churches.  Jimmy also supervised jobs within the Texas prison system at Trinity Eastham Unit and Huntsville Wall Unit, as well as masonry jobs inside many of the local refineries (Exxon, DuPont, Shell, etc.). 

A memorable job he managed was the restoration of the Pillot Building in downtown Houston.  The original Pillot Building was built around 1870 and the new building was carefully reconstructed using old photographs of the original architectural drawings. As the building was in ruin, the new brick had to be made special to size and color. Bonding had to exactly match photos, as did detail work and chimneys around the top. For this job, he received an award from the International Union in 1992 for Honorable Mention Best Project – Restoration, Rehabilitation, & Maintenance.

Jimmy enjoyed fishing and spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, Agnes and J.D. Estetter, sisters, Clara Little and Jewel Dunning, brother, Johnny Estetter, son, James “Chris” Estetter and great grandson, Isaiah Wilson.  He is survived by wife, Sally Hutchins Estetter, daughters, Deborah Nichols and husband Glenn, Diana Peil and husband Terry, grandsons, Brad Wilson and wife Kenda, Jared Wilson and wife Sarah, granddaughter, Allison Estetter, great grandchildren, Drake and Wyatt Wilson and Adrianna Wilson, and his beloved dog “Sadie”. 

A private family viewing will be at 12:00 pm on Monday, May 15, 2023 followed by a public graveside service at 1:00 pm.  Arrangements are under the direction of Sterling-White Funeral Home, 11011 Crosby-Lynchburg Rd, Highlands, Texas 77562.  To offer condolences to the family, please visit www.sterlingwhite.com.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Baytown Humane Society at baytownhumanesociety.org, whose purpose is to give hope, food and medical care to lost, abandoned, homeless, & desperate animals in our community.