James Austin Caldwell, a long-time member of the Coldspring community, passed away on March 5, 2025, at the age of 98. James was born to parents Claud Austin Caldwell and Thelma Maines Caldwell in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 18, 1927.
James is preceded in death by his parents, Claud Austin Caldwell and Thelma Maines Caldwell; son, Larry James Caldwell.
He is survived by his beloved wife of over 77 years, Jenny Sue Hoot Caldwell; son Tom Caldwell and wife Susan; grandchildren, Austin Caldwell and wife Noemi, Jesse Caldwell and wife Anna, Seth Caldwell and wife Emily, Sean Caldwell, Richard Brandt and wife Traci; great-grandchildren, Jalen Brandt, Brooklynn Brandt, Vivian Caldwell, Ruth Caldwell, Janice Arias; as well as numerous nieces nephews, other relatives, and friends.
A visitation for James will be held at Evergreen Baptist Church in Evergreen, Texas on Friday, May 9, from 5 to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 10, at 10 a.m., at Evergreen Baptist Church in Evergreen, Texas, with Pastor Dalton Currie officiating. James will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen, Texas. Those chosen to serve as pallbearers for the service are Austin Caldwell, Jesse Caldwell, Seth Caldwell, Sean Caldwell, Richard Brandt, Eferm Bains, Jim Bob Farris.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions can be made to Samaritan’s Purse: P.O. Box 3000 Boone, NC 28607 (828-262-1980) https://www.samaritanspurse.org/ OR Evergreen Baptist Church: 7605 TX-150, Coldspring 77331 (936-767-4426) https://www.evergreenbaptist.org/ .
I came to know Vanesa when I was with Cleveland PD. Vanesa was then and continues to be my favorite journalist. Every article I read after she’d been on a crime scene, she reported what she’d learned at the scene, adding to or taking away from nothing. The only exception of not reporting something was what law enforcement advised not to let out due to investigative purposes. I’ve had a couple of occasions she came to report on since retiring and the same ‘Integrity of a Journalist’ rarely seen these days.