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James Hester
April 27, 1945 - May 1, 2022
James Covington Hester, an attorney and politician, died peacefully on May 1st, 2022 after battling lung disease for 5 years, at the age of 77 in Walnut Creek, California.
Jim, as he was known by family and friends, is survived by his devoted wife of 38 years, Barbara Hester; his son, Michael Hester and wife, Sarah; his son, Jeffrey Hester; his daughter, Lisa Fox and her husband, Mike; his grandchildren, Mia , Zoey, Hannah, and J.J. Hester; Robbie Dunlop-Barnhart and Collin Dunlop-Barnhart; his brother, Richard Hester and his wife, Sandra; his brother, Roy Hester; his sister, Deborah Hester Wagner; and his sister-in-law, Marian Collins. He was predeceased by his son, James Barnhart.
While his father was serving in the Pacific, Jim was born on April 27, 1945 in New York City, New York to George Roy Hester and Mildred Adele Ritchie. At approximately 6 months, he and his mother boarded a plane, unheard of for a woman alone at that time, and flew across the country to Los Angeles where he met his father for the first time. The reunited family settled in Torrance where they lived until moving to Chula Vista, California, where he spent his childhood and graduated from Chula Vista High School in 1963. He enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley from which he graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He then enrolled at UC Hastings College of the Law where he earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1970. Soon after graduation and being admitted to the State Bar of California in 1971, he began his life-long career in workers compensation law at the State Fund. He was recruited from there by the law firm of Allen, Rhodes and Sobelson, practicing in Santa Barbara, and then ventured out on his own, with Bob Dickinson, founding their own workers' compensation law partnership, Dickinson & Hester, (later Hester & Sassano). In 1993 he merged his law partnership with Laughlin, Falbo, Levy & Moresi where he became a Partner. He remained at Laughlin, Falbo, Levy & Moresi until his retirement in 2018. Throughout his career, he was known for his exemplary ethics and decency.
In Sierra Madre where he and Barbara lived for 20 years, Jim became involved in local politics where he served as a planning commissioner (1986-1994), a city council member (1994-1997) and mayor (1997-1998) of the City of Sierra Madre, California.
Jim was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Family meant everything to him. He enjoyed all time spent with family; whether it be taking long family road trips or hosting the next family holiday or celebration, he was always at the heart of any family event. He enjoyed life to its fullest and had many passions, including world travel, concerts, cooking, gardening and of course his beloved Cal Bears. Cal athletics, particularly football, was part of his identity. Anyone that knew him, knew of his devotion for the Golden Bears. A good part of this passion stemmed from his college friends with whom he attended games and stayed in close contact for 50-plus years.
A funeral service is scheduled for 11:00am on June 3rd at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Walnut Creek, California. In lieu of flowers, please donate in his name to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation at www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org. A joyous celebration of his life will take place immediately following.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
2 Entries
My deepest condolences to Jim's loving family.
YGG
June 2, 2022
May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.
Nihar Chaubal
Friend
May 18, 2022
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