James Kessler Thweatt Jr.

1937-2017 James Kessler Thweatt, Jr., 79, died on March 23, 2017 in San Francisco, CA. He was born on April 19, 1937 in Birmingham, AL to James K. Thweatt and Mary O'Hare Thweatt. He was preceded in death by his parents, and he is survived by his wife, Dr. Virginia Choo of San Francisco; daughter, Amanda Thweatt of Kansas City, MO; brother, Ronald Thweatt and his wife Susan, of Beaumont; nephew, Barry Thweatt and his wife Marsha, of Jarrell, TX.; and step-niece Andrea Ames of Austin. James grew up in Beaumont and was educated at St. Anthony Grammar and High Schools, Spring Hill College, Kansas University and the University of Missouri. He served two years in the U.S. Army as an artillery officer. He taught at Kansas City Art Institute and was a NCPACE professor for the U.S. Navy. He moved to California in 1976 and operated a Sierra Nevada mountain resort until relocating to San Francisco in 1978, where he met and later married Virginia. He loved classical music, the blues, and was a voracious reader. He and Virginia had a mountain home in the Sierra Nevadas, where he spent many enjoyable weeks, until his Parkinson's disease prevented travel. Cremation took place in San Francisco and a memorial will be held at a later date.